Musgrove, Padres Look to Add to Cincinnati’s Road Woes
With Joe Musgrove Going in Series Opener, San Diego is Favored in Padres vs Reds MLB Odds

Arraez Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving for the San Diego Padres
Before the San Diego Padres welcome back outfielder and American League Most Valuable Player front-runner Juan Soto and the American League-leading New York Yankees to Petco Park, the Padres wrap up a road trip with three games against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Padres vs Reds MLB odds have Joe Musgrove and the Padres favored in the series opener.
After the Padres won seven games in a row against Cincinnati, the teams have split the last eight MLB games with four of the last six meetings landing over the total. San Diego has won six of the last nine games in Cincinnati.
The MLB betting lines have visiting San Diego priced at -116 to win Tuesday’s series opener with +140 odds for the Padres to cover at -1.5 on the run line. Cincinnati has +106 odds to win outright.
Cincinnati is tied for 10th at +3300 with San Diego (+5000) is tied for 12th in the odds of winning the World Series.
Padres vs Reds Probable Starting Pitchers
- Tuesday: Joe Musgrove (Padres); Andrew Abbott (Reds)
- Wednesday: Michael King (Padres); Nick Martinez (Reds)
- Thursday: Matt Waldron (Padres); Frankie Montas (Reds)
No Middle Ground For Padres
When the San Diego Padres are good, they are very good. When they are bad, it is a different story.
The Padres are hitting .293 with 166 runs in the 25 wins compared to a .219 average and 63 runs in the 25 losses.
In May, the Padres scored 51 times in eight wins with 16 runs scored in the seven losses.
That trend was never more evident than in the doubleheader split on Monday when the Padres scored six times from the fifth inning on to erase Atlanta’s five-run lead.
In the second game, San Diego was limited to seven hits and was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position in a shutout loss to the Braves. Jurickson Profar, Luis Arraez, Jackson Merrill, and Jake Cronenworth are all hitting over .300 in games won by the Padres. That could factor into the Padres vs Reds MLB odds.
De La Cruz Feeling Right At Home
Cincinnati is one of eight MLB National League teams with a losing record at home. It is hard to blame the Reds’ most dynamic player. Cincinnati has covered in just nine of its home games and that is evident when looking at the Cincinnati Reds’ place in the standings.
Shortstop Elly De La Cruz is 14th in the majors and is eighth among MLB National League players with a .603 slugging percentage.
He also has 18 stolen bases in 22 games and he is tied for seventh with 20 runs scored. He is a favorite for those placing MLB prop bets today.
Cincinnati returns home after going 3-7 on a 10-game road trip. Four of those losses came by one run. Cincinnati has dropped its last 10 one-run games and keep that in mind when looking at the Padres vs Reds MLB odds.
Four of Cincinnati’s last six games went under the total.
Who’s Hot
- Luis Arraez, San Diego Padres IF: Arraez has two hits in each of his last five games as he is batting .417 during that stretch.
- Nick Martinez, Cincinnati Reds P: Martinez gave up five hits and one run with nine strikeouts in his last 10.1 innings.
- Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds C: Stephenson is 11-for-21 with four runs and three RBIs in his last six games.
- Matt Waldron, San Diego Padres P: Waldron has allowed seven hits and three runs with 16 strikeouts in 11 innings in his last two games.
Who’s Not
- Fernando Cruz, Cincinnati Reds P: Cruz has surrendered six hits and five runs in 5.2 innings over the last six games.
- Jake Fraley, Cincinnati Reds OF: Fraley has one hit and eight strikeouts in his 17 at-bats over the last five games.
- Michael King, San Diego Padres P: King surrendered eight hits and six runs in 5.1 innings in his last start.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres OF: Tatis is 3-for-18 with seven strikeouts over his last five games.
Padres vs Reds Injury Update
Joe Musgrove hasn’t pitched since May 1 as a result of an elbow injury but he is expected to start in the series opener for the Padres. Infielders Xander Bogaerts and Justin Lopez are questionable for the Padres.
Outfielder Spencer Steer and pitcher Emilio Pagan are questionable for the Reds while outfielder TJ Friedl s pitchers Nick Lodolo and Brandon Williamson on the MLB injured list.
While San Diego has struggled at home, a quick look at the National League baseball league standings shows that San Diego is 15-9 on the road. Cincinnati has lost its last seven games at home. Three of those losses have come by one run.
Two of the three projected starters for the Reds in this series have ERAs over 4.00 so there could be chances for the Padres to add to their win total on the road.
With uncertainty on how sharp Musgrove will be as he comes off the injured list to make just his second start for the Padres in May, the total is at 9.5 runs for the series opener. Both teams have -115 odds to win the series.
For Point Spreads Sports Magazine.