The Cincinnati Reds have been the worst team in Major League Baseball for most of the season. But lately things have started to look very encouraging. They have just finished doing something they hadn't done in over 40 years, and they take on a team that is not so hot in the San Francisco Giants, in a game that begins at 10:05 PM ET at AT&T Park. Remember that if you are joined up with BetAnySports, you can place wagers even after the first pitch is thrown, as you experience the advanced technology of Live Betting Ultra.

The Reds got off to a 3-15 start before Bryan Price got the ax, to be replaced by Jim Riggleman, who had previously been a manager in San Diego, Seattle, Washington and Chicago (with the Cubs), with little success in any of those locations. But he seems to have steadied things, going 11-12 with Cincinnati thus far, and on Sunday they got homers fropm Eugenio Sanchez and All-Star Joey Votto to complete a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers - the first time they had done that since the 1976 season.

The Giants have been going in the opposite direction, losing six of their last seven, even though they come into this series on a winning note, breaking a six-game losing streak with a 5-0 win over Pittsburgh. They have scored 20 runs over their last seven games.

Sal Romano has had a couple of encouraging starts lately and he'll be on the hill again for the Reds. The Long Island native is 2-3 with a 3.83 ERA. Chris Stratton will seek better luck for the Giants. He is 3-3 with a 4.60 ERA and has been banged around of late, allowing 14 runs in his last twelve innings of work.

Cincinnati is 14-27 and ten games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. The Giants are 20-21, which puts then in third place in the NL West, and they are 4.5 games in back of the Arizona D-Backs.

In the baseball betting odds posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, the Giants are favored at home:

San Francisco Giants (Stratton) -133
Cincinnati Reds (Romano) +123

Giants -1.5 Runs (+155)
Reds +1.5 Runs (-175)

Over 8 Runs -115
Under 8 Runs -105

Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett, who is hitting .329, recently went through a period where he homered in four straight games, and he had three hits for three straight games as well. After hitting .314, .326 and .320 the last three seasons, Votto is up to .288 with an on-base percentage of .413. The Reds' staff, collectively, have had an ERA of 4.71. But Luis Castillo has adjusted his mechanics and is coming off a few pretty solid outings in a row. The bullpen has really come through, allowing just two runs in 28 innings during the current winning streak.

And the rotation may benefit from the arrival of Matt Harvey, the former All-Star pitcher who was acquired from the Mets in a trade. Harvey, who was ineffective and unhappy after being relegated to the bullpen and refused a demotion to the minors, started against the Dodgers on Friday and allowed just one hit in four innings.

Romano threw 95 pitches last Wednesday against the Mets, allowing one run in his six-inning stint. In this game, New York manager Mickey Callaway got caught with his pants down, as his team batted out of order in the first inning, killing a scoring opportunity. The Reds got caught in an illegal double switch on Friday. Riggleman described it as "a mess."

Let's continue to move with the Reds, who may have just needed some new leadership to light a fire under themselves. After winning four straight at Dodger Stadium, this underdog task is not so daunting.

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