Go Against Reds vs Padres Odds, Bet San Diego
Pair of Struggling Teams Play Three on West Coast
Two slumping teams try to right their ships when the San Diego Padres host the Cincinnati Reds. It’s a three-game series beginning on Monday. San Diego has dropped four in a row, including getting swept at home by the Philadelphia Phillies. Cincinnati comes into this series having dropped three of its last four.
Cincinnati is in a tight race in the NL Central, sitting 2.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, with the Chicago Cubs in between the two in the MLB division standings. San Diego is also in third place in its division, the NL West, sitting a game behind the second-place San Francisco Giants and 4.5 behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
This is expected to be a tight series as shown by the Reds vs Padres odds. Cincinnati is listed at -112 on the moneyline, compared to San Diego at -108. The Padres are getting +1.5 runs on the run line at -180 odds. You can take Cincinnati at +150 at -1.5 runs. The over/under has been set at eight runs, with -112 to the under.
The first two games are scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET first pitches on Monday and Tuesday night. The series finale is set for 4:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Reds vs Padres 
Records: Cincinnati Reds (15-13), San Diego Padres (14-17)
Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Day/Time: Streams: BSOH, SDPA
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Nick Lodolo (Cincinnati) vs Matt Waldron (San Diego)
Left-hander Nick Lodolo will get the ball to start the series opener for the Reds. The 26-year-old is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in three starts this season. He’s coming off his worst outing of the season, lasting five innings and allowing three runs on six hits to the Phillies on Wednesday.
San Diego will counter with righty Matt Waldron, who is 1-2 with a 3.96 ERA in five starts in 2024. Waldron picked up the win in his last start, holding the Colorado Rockies to one run on four hits over six innings on Wednesday. Waldron has allowed a home run in three of his five starts this season.
Game 2: Nick Martinez (Cincinnati) vs Undecided (San Diego)
Cincinnati will have right-hander Nick Martinez on the mound for Tuesday’s second game of the series. Martinez has made five appearances (three starts) in 2024, compiling an 0-1 record and a 5.48 ERA over 23 innings. He went six innings against the Phillies on Thursday, allowing five runs on 11 hits while striking out three.
The Padres haven’t set Tuesday’s starter, but there’s a good chance it could be veteran righty Yu Darvish returning from the injured list. Darvish has been out with neck tightness after going 0-1 with a 4.18 ERA in his first five starts of the season, but he has thrown bullpen sessions twice in the last week with positive results. Tuesday is the first day he’d be eligible to be activated off the injured list.Â
Game 3: Graham Ashcraft (Cincinnati) vs Joe Musgrove (San Diego)
Right-hander Graham Ashcroft will get the call for the series finale on Wednesday for the Reds. Ashcroft is 3-1 with a 4.40 ERA in five starts this season, striking out 26 in 28.2 innings. He had a solid outing in his last start, going 6.1 innings against the Texas Rangers and allowing one run on seven hits while striking out three.
San Diego will go with righty Joe Musgrove to close out the series, as he looks to improve on his 3-3 record and 6.94 ERA through his first seven starts. Musgrove took the loss against the Phillies on Friday, lasting just 3.2 innings while allowing seven runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking two.
Youth Leading Offense For Both Teams
Neither the Reds nor the Padres are considered good bets for the World Series this season, so young players are getting playing time and doing well for both.Â
Shortstop Elly De La Cruz is a rising star for the Reds, leading the team with a .281 batting average and seven home runs. The 22-year-old also has five doubles, a triple and 25 runs scored in his second MLB season.
One of the players with very good MLB ROY odds this season is San Diego outfielder Jackson Merrill, who just returned to the lineup over the weekend after missing a couple of games with right groin tightness. The 21-year-old is batting .295 with three doubles, a triple, a home run, 12 RBI, and 12 runs scored, becoming a potential building block for the future of the Padres.
Padres Get Series Win
Neither of these MLB teams is playing at its best right now, but we like the Padres playing at home to get wins in at least two of the three games of this series. The Reds haven’t been bad on the road, compiling a 6-6 record so far this season, but they won’t have it easy in this series.
The veteran arms of the Padres should make it tough for the Cincinnati offense, which is why San Diego is the winner when we make our MLB predictions for this series.
Reds vs Padres Odds
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