Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds Series Preview and Odds

Scuffling Reds Looking for Revenge on Dodgers

The Cincinnati Reds’ expected breakout after they shot into relevancy in 2023 is still on hold. David Bell’s team is 10 games under .500 and is 4-16 in May as they welcome in the Los Angeles Dodgers, who dropped the final two games of a home series against the Diamondbacks, for a weekend series.

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These teams met last weekend in Los Angeles with the Dodgers taking three of four behind some really strong starting pitching. Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers vs Reds betting odds have Los Angeles as -148 moneyline favorites and as -105 favorites at -1.5 runs on the runline. The total is 10 runs.

Cincinnati got a great start from Andrew Abbott on Monday en route to a 2-0 win over the San Diego Padres but Nick Martinez struggled against his old team on Tuesday and Sam Moll got hit hard in extra innings on Wednesday.

Interestingly, it has been the Reds’ offense that is holding them back because they’re 30th in average, 28th in on-base percentage and 28th in OPS. Their MLB scores today have been extremely disappointing.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are still sitting pretty with a comfortable lead in the NL West but their offense went quiet on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

They also lost a Tyler Glasnow start, which is rare considering how dominant he has been all season. Los Angeles is definitely feeling the absence of the injured Max Muncy as Kiké Hernández and Chris Taylor continue their season-long slumps. Even a team like the Dodgers goes through some rouge patches.

Dodgers logoLos Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati RedsReds logo

📅Day/Time: Friday, May 24th, 7:10 p.m. ET
📊Records: Dodgers (33-19)/Reds (20-30)
📍Location: Great American Ballpark; Cincinnati, Ohio

Dodgers Are Incredibly Well-Rounded

It’s not groundbreaking analysis to say that Los Angeles is a great team as the Dodgers tend to be every year. However, what separates the Dodgers from most great teams is how there really isn’t a weak spot on the entire roster, which the Dodgers vs Reds betting odds reflect.

The lineup is top-five across the board, the injury-riddled starting rotation has the seventh-best ERA in baseball and the bullpen is elite at everything other than striking opponents out.

There just isn’t much not to like about the Dodgers so even with them coming off a series loss, the Dodgers should be able to handle business against a Reds team that has been really bad offensively and is just middle-of-the-pack in everything else.

There’s no way to avoid the monster 1-2-3 of the Los Angeles lineup — with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts as the likely leaders in the MLB MVP race in the MLB National League — and then having to deal with the likes of Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández just feels cruel.

Also working against Cincinnati’s favor is that Los Angeles has James Paxton, Walker Buehler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto scheduled to throw this weekend.

Buehler is still working his way into top form following a long Tommy John surgery absence but he has been decent in his three starts while Paxton has done a good job at run prevention and Yamamoto looks like the superstar the Dodgers signed this offseason. Cincinnati’s slumping offense will have its hands full.

Reds Need To Push The Envelope

One way the Reds can overcome the Dodgers vs Reds betting odds not having much faith in them is to lean into what they have been elite at this season: Stealing bases.

Yes, most of Cincinnati’s league-leading 81 steals are by Elly De La Cruz — who has already swiped a ridiculous 31 bases — but the Reds are an overall fast team with a lot of young players who like to wreak havoc on the basepaths.

Cincinnati has to steal early and often against Los Angeles both to capitalize on however many baserunners they can get — because those have come at a premium for the Reds all year — and to try and get the Dodgers out of rhythm. That’s important because Los Angeles can dominate games through sheer force of will.

The Reds need to be very aggressive and, of course, that starts with De La Cruz, their best player and one of the most exciting players in baseball.

Take A Flier on Cincinnati

The Reds playoff chances look bleak right now but they might be worth a bet to win straight-up as +133 moneyline underdogs on Friday.

The line has moved in Cincinnati’s favor since it opened with the Reds having promising youngster Graham Ashcraft facing off with Paxton.

Paxton’s walk troubles could hurt him against Cincinnati’s speed, while Ashcraft hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start in over a month.

Cincinnati’s rotation lines up well for this series as Hunter Greene and Abbott pitch on Saturday and Sunday respectively. That means the Reds’ top three starters will get cracks at the Dodgers.

With that said, the Dodgers’ lineup — on paper — beats out the Reds’ rotation any day of the week so expect a lot of runs to be scored on Friday in the Reds’ homer-friendly home park. The total has climbed to 10 but the over (at -115) still feels like a good play.

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.


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