MLB Baseball
2026-08-31 - San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : Major League Baseball
Monday 31st August 2026 - Scheduled 6:40pm EST
11:40pm (British Time)
Preview
Another series begins on Monday, which will take teams into September, and that means time is beginning to be a factor for those still chasing Playoff spots. Some teams are already well on the way to securing post-season Baseball, but others like the San Diego Padres (72-65) are looking to bounce back from a three game sweep, which has knocked them out of the Wild Card standings.
There is only 0.5 games between the Padres and National League West rivals Arizona Diamondbacks who have moved into the top three in the Wild Card race. It is increasingly looking likely that the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies will be taking two of the three Wild Card spots in the National League and that will add to the pressure on the Padres who have made investments that they believe will be good enough for Playoff Baseball.
This is a series against the Cincinnati Reds (65-72) that looks winnable, although credit has to be given to the Reds for winning three of the last four games.
The home team will hand the ball to Brady Singer who has a 5-12 record and 4.72 ERA in his twenty-six starts made this season and Cincinnati resisted trade talks around him. He has allowed at least three runs in each of the last seven starts, but Singer has been used to chew through as many Innings as possible to give the Reds bullpen some rest, even when the pitcher has not been at his best on the mound.
Brady Singer gave up two runs in 6 Innings pitched on the road against the San Diego Padres earlier this season, but did not factor into the decision.
The Padres will counter by giving the ball to Michael King and hoping the pitcher can maintain current form and they can back him for a victory to turn the momentum back around.
Michael King has an 8-9 record and 3.23 ERA in his twenty-seven starts made this season and his personal level has remained steady at a level that should give San Diego a chance to win games.
August has been a month in which King has put together a 2-2 record with a 2.64 ERA and he will be pitching after throwing 7 Innings without giving up a run against the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, the Padres batting lineup failed to spark on the day and Michael King was not involved in the decision as his team ultimately lost 1-0.
Earlier this season, Michael King pitched into the 7th Inning and allowed two earned runs against the Cincinnati Reds.
That outing was made during a three game home series for the San Diego Padres which was won by the National League West team.
Prediction
The pitching edge looks to be with the San Diego Padres, although the team are struggling for consistency as the pressure ramps up.
Respect has to be given to the Cincinnati Reds, who have won three of four games despite being out of Playoff contention, but the Padres can snap their own losing run by taking the opener of this three game set on the road.
The Pick :
Cincinnati Reds 2-4 San Diego Padres
