The Cincinnati Reds (19-20) are facing off against the Houston Astros (18-18) this evening at Minute Maid Park. The Reds are struggling, having lost five of their last six games, including a heartbreaking 5-4 defeat to the Atlanta Braves in eleven innings. Jose Trevino shone in that loss, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. While the Astros aren't in top form either, they recently secured a strong 9-1 win against the Milwaukee Brewers, led by a stellar performance from Framber Valdez, who pitched seven innings allowing only one run, and Jeremy Pena, who contributed four RBIs.

Tonight's pitching battle features Nick Martinez for the Reds, who holds a 1-3 record with a 4.19 ERA, against the formidable Hunter Brown, boasting a 5-1 record and a stunning 1.67 ERA. The odds favor the Astros with a moneyline of -174 compared to the Reds at +146. Statistically, Houston has trended towards high-scoring games, going 8-2 on the OVER in their last ten contests. Jeremy Pena is on a hot streak, hitting safely in 10 of his last 11 games. In contrast, Reds' stars Elly De La Cruz and Gavin Lux are struggling at the plate, hitting just .167 and .133 over their last eight games, respectively.