Cincinnati Reds vs. Baltimore Orioles Predictions, Picks, Odds: Will Nick Lodolo Expose the Orioles Lineup?

Cincinnati Reds vs. Baltimore Orioles Predictions, Picks, Odds: Will Nick Lodolo Expose the Orioles Lineup?

I woke up with one thing on my mind today, and that's ladders. The issue is, somehow, the books managed to get pretty much everything right. I hate when that happens, but it does happen from time to time. Not only did they get the numbers pretty much right, but they also got the prices right which is crazy. Hats off to them for that. The thing is, I woke up looking for a ladder, so I'm going to need a ladder. And even though the books pretty much got everything right, they may have messed up on a friend of ours. The thing is, doing the standard number is a pretty big deal since it's 6.5 (-110). When we start having to count that high, we may as well throw another K on the number and watch the price go up. It just makes sense.

Reds. Orioles Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: July 31, 2022
• Game Time: 1:40 pm ET
• Where to Watch: MLB.TV

Click Here for Reds vs Orioles Odds

Reds vs. Orioles Line Movement

Cincinnati Reds vs. Baltimore Orioles Prediction

Nick Lodolo 8+ Strikeouts (+196) (Bet $100 to Win $196)

*Odds Available at FanDuel*

We're at FanDuel for this one since they have the ladder option. If you can't play there, don't worry, you can always do the over 6.5 (-105) at DraftKings. It's not quite as glorious as the 8+ thing the rest of us are rolling with, but it will get you by. At the end of the day, action is action. It could also prove to be the smarter way to hit this thing if this kid lands on seven. Still, I woke up today looking for a ladder, so my hands are tied. I have to do the 8+.

I don't want to get too far ahead of myself but we may be watching one of the next great K-artists in Nick Lodolo. We've backed this guy a few times this season, and if you can see through the walks, you probably see the same thing. We're talking about a 47 strikeout in 32.1 innings pitched guy here people. For a kid who's only 24 years old in his first season, that's not bad. Obviously, we have to pay for him at 8+, but still, it's worth it (probably).

In three starts this season where we've seen Lodolo throw 90+ pitches, he's rung up at least eight in two of them. The time he didn't was against the Tampa Bay Rays, which doesn't even count since they don't strike out much against lefties. That means he's perfect so far in games where he's thrown 90+ pitches. I'll even add that Lodolo fanned eight New York Mets in just 89 pitches which is basically Hall of Fame level stuff since nobody does that to the Mets.

Today our guy, Lodolo, is getting the Baltimore Orioles served to him at home in front of all his people. Now I like the Orioles, but honestly, these guys have a problem when it comes to lefties. Only one team in MLB has struck out more than they have this season against southpaws. We're talking 308 strikeouts in just 1096 at-bats. That's bad. Eight guys will likely be in the lineup today that are all above 20% in strikeout rate this season against left-handers, which bodes well for us. We could be able to say we had +196 on Nick Lodolo for the first time in his career that he hit double digits in a game in strikeouts. What an opportunity.

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