Cincinnati Reds vs. San Diego Padres Picks and Prediction, Tuesday, September 9, 2025
In this Reds at Padres prediction, the Reds continue their three-game series at Petco Park in San Diego against the playoff-hopeful Padres. The Reds have faded over the last few weeks and are all but out of the playoff hunt in the National League. The Padres are in a very good position to earn a wildcard spot in the National League, holding a two-game edge over the New York Mets for the second spot. The pitching matchup on Tuesday will feature Reds’ righty Zack Littell (9-8, 3.81) taking on Padres’ righty Michael King (4-2, 2.81). The first pitch is scheduled for 9:40 PM EST. Read on for more in this Reds/Padres prediction, and grab our top MLB predictions to increase your bankroll!
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Reds are fading, but still hopeful
The Cincinnati Reds head into Monday night’s series opener with the Padres, trailing the Mets by four games for the final wildcard spot in the National League. The latest odds give them a three percent chance of earning one of the three spots with just 19 games left in the season. They took two of three games from the Mets over the weekend in Cincinnati, including a 3-2 win on Sunday. The Reds got a huge performance from starter Hunter Greene, who struck out a season-high 12 batters and allowed one hit and one run. He improved to 6-4 on the season with the victory.
*This article was written before the completion of Monday night’s Reds/Padres game.
The Reds have had a successful season under new manager Terry Francona. The multiple-time World Series champion manager kept the team in the hunt despite numerous injuries to the pitching staff. The Reds will turn to trade deadline pickup Zack Littell on Tuesday night. Littell has a record of 9-8 between the Rays and Reds this season in 28 starts, including 16 quality starts. He has given up 161 hits in 164 innings of work, including 34 home runs. He has walked 28 batters and struck out 116. The Reds have lost four of Littell’s last five starts. On the road, he is 7-4 with an ERA of 3.93 in 15 road starts.
Key Injuries: SP Chase Burns, RP Ian Gibaut, SP Wade Miley, and SP Rhett Lowder are out.The
Padres are in a good spot
The San Diego Padres are primed for a return to the playoffs with a two-game lead over the Mets for the second wildcard spot with just 19 games left heading into Monday night’s opener with the Reds. The Padres took two of three games over the Rockies in Colorado over the weekend, including each of the final two games. On Sunday, the Padres picked up an 8-1 win behind starter Dylan Cease. Cease went five innings and allowed four hits and one run to pick up his seventh win of the season. Manny Machado led the offensive attack with a home run and three RBI.
*This article was written before the completion of Monday night’s Reds/Padres game.
The Padres appear on their way back to the National League playoffs this season, this time with perhaps the best overall bullpen in MLB. They’ll look to inch closer to clinching a spot on Tuesday against the Reds with returning righty Michael King on the mound. King returns after another stint on the IL following a rough start against Boston back on August 9th. He comes in with a record of 4-2 in 11 starts, including two quality starts. He has allowed 44 hits in 57.2 innings of work and six home runs. He has an ERA of 2.81 and a WHIP of 1.09. The Padres have lost three of King’s last five starts. He is 3-2 at home with an ERA of 2.45.
Key Injuries: SP Nestor Cortes, SS Xander Bogaerts, and RP Jason Adam are out.
Reds vs. Padres Pick
-
Spread Pick for Reds at Padres
Padres ML (4 units)
While King is making just his first start in a month, he has baseball’s top bullpen behind him to pick things up in the middle to late innings. The Reds have lost four of Littell’s last five starts, and the righty has been pounded of late. He has given up 13 runs in his last three starts, in just 14 innings. That includes seven home runs given up in that span, adding to his season-high 34 overall. King has good strikeout marks and has given up just 44 hits in 57.2 innings of work. The Reds are breathing their last breath with under 20 games to go in the season, while the Padres still have hope for the top wildcard spot.
Take the Padres with the money line.
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Over/Under Pick for Reds at Padres
- Over
As noted above, Littell has been pounded by the long ball this season, particularly as of late. The Reds have also gone over the number in each of Littell’s last five starts. The Padres have gone over the total in three of their last four games heading into Monday night’s clash with the Reds. They’ve also gone over the number in three of King’s last five starts.
Take the over.
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