Astros vs Reds Picks and Prediction – 9/2/2024

The Houston Astros open a three-game series on the road Monday versus the Cincinnati Reds. Houston is 74-62 following Saturday's 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The Astros have won each of the series' first three games with Kansas City which concludes on Sunday. Houston is first in the American League West, five games ahead of the Seattle Mariners. Ensure you stay updated with all the MLB action, with our MLB previews.

Yordan Alvarez is batting .312 to lead Houston and is the leader in home runs with 28 and an on-base percentage of .400. Jose Altuve has a team-high 160 hits, while Yainer Diaz is the leader in RBI with 74. Houston has a team batting average of .261 and a slugging percentage of .418. On Monday, Houston will send Justin Verlander to the mound. The right-hander is 3-4 with a 4.16 ERA, 60 Ks, and 19 BBs.

The Cincinnati Reds dropped to 64-73 following a 5-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Cincinnati has lost each of the first three games of its series with Milwaukee that concludes on Sunday and the Reds have lost six of the last seven overall. Cincinnati is 4th in the National League Central, 16 ½ games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. 

Elly De La Cruz is batting .263 to lead Cincinnati and is the leader in home runs with 22 and hits with 137, while Spencer Steer is the leader in RBI with 85. Jonathan India has a .347 on-base percentage to lead the Reds. Cincinnati is batting .232 with a .399 slugging percentage. Cincinnati has not announced its starting pitcher for Monday's opening game of a series at home versus Houston.

Houston has played much better than Cincinnati of late, but Houston's starter on the mound has struggled over the last four outings and that will be the difference in this matchup on Monday. Houston starter Justin Verlander has been hit hard in four consecutive outings, allowing 14 runs and 25 hits across 20 innings with Houston losing three of the four. Final Score Prediction, Cincinnati Reds win 5-2.