Featured Match-up: Cincinnati Reds vs. San Diego Padres -143/7.5 under -115
Time: 9:40 pm ET / 6:40 pm PT
Television: MLB.tv, FDSN (Ohio), Padres.tv
After dropping the series opener against the Mets, the Reds took the final two games to get back to four games back in the National League Wild Card race with 19 games left. Time is running out so every game is huge and at 32-37 on the road, these are even more important and from our viewpoint, this is where the real value is. Nick Lodolo went on the IL in early August with a left index finger blister which can be a huge issue but he was activated late last month and has gotten extra time as he was scratched in his last start with an illness. He is rested and ready and brings in a 2.52 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in 13 road starts while pitching to a 1.79 xERA and 1.76 ERC (Component ERA). The Padres are coming off a series win in Colorado and the final two wins snapped a five-game losing streak. San Diego has a six-game lead for the second Wild Card spot so they are fairly safe at this point so the sense of urgency is not at the same level. Yu Darvish has not been good as he has gone fewer than five innings in seven of 11 starts while posting a 5.75 ERA and while he has a 3.75 ERA in five home starts, the Padres are just 3-2 in those games and he is overvalued here.
Pick: Cincinnati Reds +120
