Cincinnati Reds vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, 5/17/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cincinnati Reds vs Cleveland Guardians

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026

Location: Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Cincinnati (+132) Cleveland (-160)

The Cleveland Guardians (24-21) are hosting the Cincinnati Reds (23-21) at Progressive Field on Sunday. The moneyline on this contest has the Reds at +132 and the Guardians open at -160. The betting total is set at 8. The pitchers taking the mound will be Brady Singer and Joey Cantillo.

As a squad, the Cincinnati Reds are notching 4.3 runs per outing, which is 15th in the league. They have 190 runs scored while holding a team on-base percentage of .310. The Reds have accumulated 63 doubles as a team and have hit 58 balls out of the park. They have earned 177 runs batted in and 329 hits so far this year, while their team batting average is .224. Cincinnati is slugging .389 and have struck out 405 times, while drawing a walk on 174 occasions.

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The Reds have a team ERA of 4.61 on the campaign (27th in baseball), and their staff has rung up 342 hitters. Reds pitchers have allowed 55 home runs and 216 total runs (25th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 202 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 4.87 as a team over the course of the season. Cincinnati has surrendered 374 base hits (8.5 per 9 innings) and 202 earned runs. They have accrued a K/BB ratio of 1.69 and the pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.46.

Reds bullpen pitchers have come into the game with opponents on base 49 times in addition to having 56 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have racked up 28 holds for the year (6th in baseball). The Reds relief pitchers have compiled a save rate of 57.9% and have entered the game in 48 save situations. They have recorded 11 saves this season and have blown 8 of 19 save chances. The relief pitchers have inherited 66 runners on the season with 27.3% of those players ended up scoring. The Reds have sent 165 relievers to the hill for the year.

The Cincinnati Reds have a total of 1,183 putouts thus far, as well as 380 assists and 18 errors. Their fielding percentage is currently at .989 which has them ranked 7th in the majors, and have a total of 42 double plays. The Reds have transformed 70.4% of balls in play into outs in their 3,549 innings on the field, ranking them 14th in professional baseball.

Singer has taken the ball for 897 innings and has racked up 836 strikeouts in his pro baseball career. Singer (52-59 win-loss mark in his career) sits with a FIP of 4.24 and he has gone up against 3,846 opposing hitters during his time in the major leagues. His ERA is 4.30 (429 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.326. He has allowed 904 base hits (9.1 hits per 9 innings) and has had 285 walks.

Cleveland is sitting with 42 long balls for the season to go along with 179 RBIs. They have recorded 72 doubles, while taking a walk 190 times as well as putting up 187 runs. The Cleveland Guardians have earned a team OBP of .322 as well as a batting average of .228 this year. The Guardians hold a slugging percentage of .365 and they average 4.16 runs per outing (21st in the league). They have been rung up on 336 occasions (25th in the league) and have tallied 335 base knocks.

The Cleveland pitching staff have conceded 183 runs this year while having a team ERA of 3.81 (168 earned runs relinquished). They have allowed 53 HR's and they yield 4.15 runs per 9 innings (10th in baseball). The Guardians have a WHIP of 1.272 and have a FIP of 3.99 as a pitching staff so far this year. Their K/BB ratio is 9.50 (420 strikeouts vs 153 walks). They are sitting at 18th in the league as a staff in total hits relinquished with 352.

They are currently ranked 3rd in the league with a save percentage of 78.9%, and they have sent 147 relievers onto the field for the year. Their relievers have stepped onto the hill 52 times in high leverage situations and on 44 occasions with runners on. With 57 save situations, the Guardians have earned 37 holds in addition to 4 blown saves. Cleveland has had bullpen pitchers enter the contest in 19 save chances and they have converted 15 saves. Cleveland relief pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 26.8% out of 71 inherited runners.

In their 3,576 innings played, the Guardians have a defensive efficiency of 70.0% (17th in MLB). The Cleveland Guardians have turned 34 double plays and have a fielding rate of .988 (8th in professional baseball). The Guardians have recorded 341 assists, 18 errors and have notched a total of 1,192 putouts so far this year.

Cantillo (10-8 career record) has earned a 3.52 ERA and has given up 7.7 hits per nine innings. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.51 and he has gone up against 752 opposing batters during his pro baseball career. He has surrendered 70 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.284 and having a FIP of 3.5. During his MLB career, Cantillo has conceded 153 hits while he has tallied 193 strikeouts in 179 innings pitched.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Cincinnati (+132)

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