Vegas Play of the Day: Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies

By Case Keefer (contact)

Tuesday, July 4, 2017 | 11:29 a.m.

We’re entering the fourth season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won back-to-back titles in the 2015-2016 and 2016-17 seasons, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015.

Cincinnati Reds plus-143 at Colorado Rockies: $300 to win $429

Reds starter Homer Bailey has gotten shelled in two starts since coming off the 60-day disabled list. The betting market is panicked, driving up the price on Bailey’s third start with nearly 80 percent of the money coming in on the Rockies.

The Reds aren’t panicked. Reds manager Bryan Price defended Bailey by saying he pitched well in rehab assignments, and it’s only a matter of time until he gets into his groove in the majors.

There’s a career long sample to support that, as Bailey is a veteran useful starter. He’s up against a few challenges this evening at Coors Field, where the hard-hitting Rockies are beyond daunting.

Colorado should be the favorite, but there’s no way it deserves to lay this big of a number. The Reds are at the bottom of the National League Central, but they’ve been better than expected this season.

They’ve hit well, so Bailey will receive the run support to keep the Reds in the game. It could just be enough to cash a ticket on what looks like a too-big of underdog.

Current Standings: Granger (1-0, $10,500), Grimala (0-0, $10,000), Keefer (0-0, $10,000), Brewer (0-1, $9,600)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.