Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds meet again on Monday night, only five days after Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep in emphatic fashion.
The Dodgers outscored Cincinnati 23-6 in that series, finishing it with a 14-1 rout powered by four home runs. Now the matchup shifts to hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, where Tarik Skubal faces Nick Lodolo in a repeat of last Tuesday's pitching matchup.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM ET. Los Angeles just had an eight-game win streak snapped on Saturday and now carry a two-game losing streak into tonight.
Dodgers vs. Reds betting picks and predictions
Dodgers -1.5 (-135)
The Money Line is expensive, so it is better to ask Los Angeles to win by multiple runs.
Skubal is 9-7 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, and he has been especially dominant away from home with a 2.09 ERA and 0.86 WHIP across 60.1 road innings.
Cincinnati also just saw him last week and accomplished very little. Skubal worked 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Elly De La Cruz accounted for the biggest mistake with a long home run to centre field.
The larger sample against Cincinnati is even more impressive. Current Reds hitters have managed just a .140 average and .407 OPS against Skubal across 57 career at-bats, striking out 19 times against only four walks.
His reverse splits create at least some intrigue because left-handed hitters have fared better against him than righties, but Cincinnati has struggled badly against quality pitching lately and owns just a 64 wRC+ over the last week.
Los Angeles has a much friendlier matchup against Lodolo. The Reds lefty enters with a 5.12 ERA and has been particularly shaky since August, carrying an ERA around 6.00 across his last six starts. He failed to complete five innings against the Dodgers last week, surrendering three runs on five hits and three walks in 4.2 innings.
His platoon splits offer very little relief. Lodolo has allowed a .919 OPS to left-handed hitters and an .871 OPS to righties.
That is dangerous against a Dodgers lineup that owns MLB's best road OPS at .779 and has already demonstrated that it can punish him.
Over 7.5 total runs (-110)
Skubal's presence naturally makes an Over uncomfortable, but this number is low enough that Los Angeles can do most of the work.
The Dodgers are baseball's best road offense by a significant margin, leading MLB in road batting average, on-base percentage and OPS. They have also been swinging the bat well recently, producing a 125 wRC+ and .225 ISO over their last six games.
Both clubs rank inside the top seven in OPS against left-handed pitching, so neither offense is facing its preferred-handed matchup Monday.
For Los Angeles, however, Lodolo's struggles essentially erase that concern. Current Dodgers hitters have batted .270 with a .765 OPS against him, while Tommy Edman and Will Smith have both taken the left-hander deep.
Lodolo has also surrendered eight home runs across his last six starts, an especially concerning trend at Great American Ball Park.
Even if Cincinnati struggles against Skubal again, the Reds may only need two runs for this wager to have a strong chance.
Skubal has allowed two earned runs in each of his last two outings, and Great American Ball Park remains one of the league's best environments for power.
The other factor is Cincinnati's bullpen. The Reds bullpen also ranks 25th with a 4.84 ERA. If Lodolo lasts only four or five innings again, Los Angeles could have several opportunities to add late insurance.
Mookie Betts to hit a home run (+525)
Since August 5, Mookie Betts is batting .311 with seven home runs, raising his season batting average from .220 to .250 and his OPS from roughly .670 to .750.
The power has been particularly encouraging recently. Betts has homered twice in his last six games. He also homered against Cincinnati during last week's sweep, going deep as part of a three-hit performance in the 14-1 finale.
Betts has improved considerably against left-handed pitching as the season has progressed, while Lodolo is allowing an .871 OPS to right-handed batters and has struggled to keep the ball in the park.
Great American Ball Park's short dimensions reward pulled fly balls, and Betts has been creating significantly more lift recently.
He also owns excellent numbers against Cincinnati's current pitching staff, batting .333 with a .988 OPS in previous meetings.
At +525, I will back his recent power surge to continue with his 21st home run of the season.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the MLB on site.
Dodgers vs. Reds Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers | -240 ML |
Cincinnati Reds | +180 ML |
Run Line | LA Dodgers -135 |
Total | O/U 7.5 |
Dodgers vs. Reds player props
Player home run odds
Max Muncy (LA Dodgers) | +475 |
Will Smith (LA Dodgers) | +475 |
Teoscar Hernandez (LA Dodgers) | +500 |
Mookie Betts (LA Dodgers) | +525 |
Tommy Edman (LA Dodgers) | +525 |
Eugenio Suarez (LA Dodgers) | +525 |
Sal Stewart (LA Dodgers) | +575 |
Read the latest MLB news on site
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
