Cincinnati Reds (12-17) vs. San Diego Padres (16-14)
May 3, 2023 4:10 pm EDT
The Line: San Diego Padres -312 / Cincinnati Reds +225; Over/Under: +9
(Get latest betting odds)
The Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres meet Wednesday in MLB action from Petco Park. This will be the finale in a three-game series. The Padres managed a five-run win in the opener, then in game two Cincinnati evened it up with a close victory. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds had a brief 3-2 lead in the Monday opener of this series but ended up falling 8-3 in the end. On Tuesday Cincinnati scored a run in the eighth and the 10th innings during a 2-1 comeback victory. Starter Graham Ashcraft finished on 6.0 innings, one earned, six hits and two walks.
For the starter job in the Wednesday finale the Reds will go with Luis Cessa. In his five starts this year Cessa is 1-3 with a 9.55 ERA and nine strikeouts in 21.2 innings. Cessa is 17-21 with a 4.41 ERA over 206 games (34 starts) in his career.
San Diego Padres
Over on the Padres’ side, they out-hit the Reds 16-8 in the Monday game and scored five runs over the final four innings. On Tuesday San Diego had six hits in the defeat. Michael Wacha lasted 6.0 innings in the start with two hits, two walks and three Ks.
Seth Lugo will get the call for the Wednesday start. Over his five starts this year Lugo is 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA and 26 Ks in 27.2 innings. Lugo is 34-26 with a 3.48 ERA in 280 career games (43 starts).
The Reds are 18-37 in their last 55 overall and 16-35 in their last 51 Wednesday games. Cincinnati is 16-36 in their last 52 road games.
Meanwhile, the Padres are 4-1 in their last five Wednesday games and 7-2 in their last nine in game three of a series. San Diego is 18-8 in their last 26 versus a team with a losing record.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably stay with the Padres. Probably not touching it, though; the line’s way too thick to mess around with. Lugo has been a bit shaky lately with nine earned over his last 14.2 innings on 21 hits and two walks. He’s 0-2 in that time. As for Cessa, he had a rough game versus Philly (3.0 innings; 11 earned) but since then he’s been better with five earned in 9.2 frames. On Tuesday the Padres had a rough offensive evening, but on the bright side the pitching effort was solid overall. Wacha had a nice start, and the bullpen posted 4.0 innings with four hits, one earned, one walk and three Ks. I like the Padres to bounce back and finish off the series with a win in game three. You wouldn’t be crazy to try the Reds on a value play, though.
