On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers (75-57) run it back again against the Cincinnati Reds (68-64) following a 7-0 shutout victory last night. This West Coast action presents a fun matchup between postseason-caliber squads, so get those betting cards ready and settle in for the late slate.
Here’s a Dodgers vs. Reds prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Tuesday’s contest.
Dodgers vs. Reds prediction, preview
The Dodgers have played some up-and-down ball over the last month and lost a crucial series against the rival San Diego Padres last week. However, things are largely still positive out in sunny Los Angeles as the Dodgers sit eighth in scoring with 115 runs in August. The team’s bats finally began to rebound after a bit of a cold stretch following the All-Star Game and hit a respectable .245 with a .762 OPS, 10th-best in baseball this month. They’ve bashed 36 homers in 23 games, fourth-most, and drawing the third-most walks does help make up for the 12th-most strikeouts (though that’s natural with such an aggressive plate approach).
Los Angeles thrives on offense, but they’ve actually produced a great month on the mound as well. Their 3.46 ERA ranks fourth among all teams this month with a 1.19 WHIP, good four seventh-best.
The Reds aren’t nearly as fortunate at the moment, sitting 2.5 games back of the final NL Wild Card spot. They’re just 4-6 across their last 10 contests and were shut out last night, a sign of a struggling offense that’s seen its fair share of bumps this month. Over the course of August, Cincinnati’s 86 runs are the third-fewest in baseball. The team bats .242, good for 19th, but a .656 OPS also falls third-worst and they’re reaching base at a below-.300 mark. They’ve hit just 14 homers this month, by far the fewest of any team as well, so the offensive upside feels capped out until further notice.
It’s quite unfortunate that the Reds aren’t putting forth run support for a pitching staff which recently returned ace Hunter Greene and boasts the second-best ERA this month at 3.35. They’re also sixth in WHIP at 1.18, so if they could get any kind of scoring going, they’d certainly see the production on the mound to win some games and get into the postseason picture.
Dodgers vs. Reds pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Dodgers as strong -186 favorites on the Moneyline tonight. The Reds are +151 underdogs with the run total set at nine.
Southpaw Clayton Kershaw (3.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 52 SO) continues to defy Father Time and gets the start tonight for Los Angeles. He faces off against right-hander Nick Martinez (4.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 105 SO).
Look, sometimes these picks are more simple than you’d think. Tonight’s contest presents one of those opportunities as the Dodgers’ talented offense takes on this struggling Reds unit. Even with L.A. underperforming in comparison to how they began the season, they’re still far and away a better unit than Cincinnati right now and Martinez isn’t exactly an unhittable hurler. Sure, the Reds’ staff looks good as of late overall, but these Dodgers should get the better of them and keep rolling by covering the run line this evening as Cincy’s slide continues.
Best bet: LA Dodgers -1.5 (+113)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
