Don’t cry because it’s over, Reds fans. Smile because it happened.
This time last week, Cincinnati was on top of the world. Well, it was at least on the top of the NL Central. Now, in the midst of an seven-game losing streak, the Reds find themselves in the basement of the most competitive division in baseball. That’s just life.
Can Cincinnati end its losing ways on Friday evening? Or will the Astros begin their climb out of the cellar of the AL West? Let’s preview this interleague tilt and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Reds prediction, preview
The good news for the Reds is that Nick Lodolo is back. In an eerie twist of fate, the former seventh-overall pick will rejoin Cincinnati’s 26-man roster on Friday, likely taking the spot of another former seventh-overall pick, as Rhett Lowder (shoulder) was forced to exit Thursday’s loss early due to injury. Lodolo made three rehab starts across three levels to build up for his return, and he’s not expected to have any workload limitations in tonight’s outing. In 2025, the oft-injured left-hander managed the best campaign of his career, pitching to a 3.33 ERA and a 3.50 xERA over 156.2 innings. Lodolo also registered a 24.3% strikeout rate and a career-high 5.03 K/BB ratio. I’m not going to pull out the carpet here. He was just flat-out solid for a Reds squad that rode it’s rotation into a postseason berth.
However, it is worth noting that this isn’t a soft matchup for Lodolo to ease his way back into the majors. Despite being eight games below .500, Houston’s lineup can mash with the best in the league. The Astros enter this evening’s action leading all AL teams in batting average (.261). They also sit fifth in wOBA (.340) and fifth in wRC+ (114) in the whole of MLB. Yordan Alvarez is healthy and destroying baseballs. Christian Walker is finally living up to his contract. Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve have been fine to mostly fine. The one dark cloud is the recent Carlos Correa (ankle) news. The 31-year-old had been playing this well, better than he’d been in some time, yet it appears that a freak injury will end his season prematurely. In his 141 plate appearances in 2026, Correa was slashing .279/.369/.418 with a .365 expected wOBA that was the highest it had been since 2021 — his last go-around with Houston.
Toeing the rubber for the Astros on Friday will be the scuffling Mike Burrows. For as good as the right-hander looked in his rookie campaign last year with the Pirates, things have gotten off to an underwhelming start in Houston. Across seven outings and 37.2 innings, Burrows has posted a 5.97 ERA with a 5.18 FIP. The 26-year-old has been a little unlucky, as his .373 opponent BABIP is the sixth-highest mark in MLB among pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown; yet surrendering 1.91 opponent home runs per nine is a pretty good way to undercut any chance for some positive regression. That said, with the Astros’ lengthy IL, Burrows will have all the time in the world to try and figure things out on the fly.
Astros vs. Reds pick, best bet
Best Bet: Nathaniel Lowe 2+ Total Bases (+126)
In 72 plate appearances against RHPs this season, Lowe is slashing an impressive .313/.389/.672 with a .359 ISO and a 186 wRC+. Meanwhile, Burrows is allowing a .441 wOBA to opposing LHBs.
Strong Lean: Mike Burrows Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-155)
Burrows has gone over this prop in four of his seven starts in 2026. I like his chances to make that five for eight in a matchup with a Reds lineup that owns MLB’s highest called + swinging strike rate over the past two weeks (29.4%).
