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Matt Cain has finally developed into the dominant pitcher the Giants hoped he would be when they drafted him with their 1st pick back in 2002. His 12-4 record is one of the best in baseball and his ability to strike batters out (126 thus far) limits balls in play.

He and teammate Tim Lincecum have become one of the better one-two punches in the league and have helped the San Francisco Giants stay in the National League Wild Card race. On Thursday they complete a three game set in Ohio against the Cincinnati Reds who have largely disappointed this year, although in their defense have suffered significant injuries.

They throw Aaron Harang who's having a disaster campaign thus far, having the dubious distinction of possibly losing 20 games this year. He's currently at 6-14 with a 4.35 ERA. However, there's good reason to think that the Reds will be able to pull off the upset on Thursday, making them a good team to bet on.

First off, Cain traditionally slows down as the season winds down. He's 9-8 career in August and 5-9 in September. He's already showed sign of this trend, losing 2 of his last 3 games started (the other was a no decision). Worse off for him, one of those losses came at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds who beat him 5-2 August 9th.

In two games started at the Great American Ballpark his ERA is a paltry 7.59 with the Reds hitting .362 in 10.2 innings pitched in Cincinnati. He'll be vulnerable in a great hitting park. On the flip side, for all his shortcomings this year, Aaron Harang has pitched much better recently, only giving up 2 earned runs in each of his last two starts. He's actually decent at home too, with a 3.61 ERA and limiting opponents to a .256 average.

This is a long shot, but the Reds have a genuine chance in this contest if numbers are any indication. And as we all know, in baseball they usually are!

Elsewhere tonight in the MLB, the Chicago Cubs are taking on the LA Dodgers in a clash which LA are favorites to win at odds of [1.01]. However, if you fancy taking your chances with Chicago and Gorzelanny, the Cubs are available at [2.02].