The Cincinnati Reds take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Our MLB odds series has our Reds Dodgers prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Reds Dodgers.
The Cincinnati Reds have had a nightmarish month of May. They were 16-13 on the morning of April 30. They have won just three baseball games since then and are currently 19-27. The Reds' problems are frustrating in themselves, but they are made worse because last year, the team lacked high-end pitching depth and suffered because the rotation buckled in the heat of a playoff chase. The team didn't get a high-end arm at the 2023 trade deadline, reasonably calculating that the team was ahead of schedule and that bigger moves needed to wait for a time when the team matured and improved to a place where it was a serious playoff contender, a team which could win 90 games. The assumption — and it was a reasonable one — was that the Reds' talented young core would continue to show potential at the plate and produce runs. The pitching seemed to be the bigger question as 2024 arrived.
Brutally, painfully, that hasn't been the case. The hitting, more than the pitching, has dragged down the Reds this season. Cincinnati keeps trotting out a batting order which is impotent and can't string together hits. The Reds' hitters have been dominated multiple times this week, most recently on Saturday night by Walker Buehler of the Dodgers, who had predictably struggled in his first few outings after his long injury absence but found his footing against Cincy. Brandon Pfaadt, the Arizona Diamondback pitcher who had also endured a bumpy ride earlier in 2024, shut down the Reds this past week in Phoenix. When struggling pitchers get healthy against a team, that's a sign of decline and regression. The Reds simply have to turn things around at the plate, or they're in huge trouble this year.
Here are the Reds-Dodgers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Reds-Dodgers Odds
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-146)
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+122)
Over: 8.5 (-110)
Under: 8.5 (-110)
How To Watch Reds vs. Dodgers
TV: Bally Sports Ohio (Reds) / SportsNet LA (Dodgers) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 4:10 p.m. ET/1:10 p.m. PT
*Watch Reds-Dodgers LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Reds Could Cover The Spread
The Reds have to start winning. They are taking the field in this game with more urgency and more at stake than the 31-17 Dodgers, who are fundamentally on schedule this season even though they haven't played as well as a lot of their fans might have expected. Cincinnati just played two bad offensive games, especially on Saturday, and needs to be able to bring some thunder to the ballpark.
On some outlets (ESPN), Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been listed as the Dodger starting pitcher for this game, but on other outlets, the Dodger starter is still TBD, which is why the betting lines for this game were not available late Saturday night. There has been genuine uncertainty about whom the Dodgers will send to the bump against Hunter Greene. This uncertainty could point to a last-minute change and maybe a bullpen game for the Dodgers. That could help the Reds.
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
There isn't much which needs to be said at this point. The Reds can't hit. They have been awful at the plate for the past three weeks. If they could make the rusty, post-injury Walker Buehler look great, they'll make most pitchers look great.
Final Reds-Dodgers Prediction & Pick
There is no reason to trust the Reds at this point. Take the Dodgers.
Final Reds-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5
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