Cincinnati Reds vs Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/22/2026

Game Time: 8:10 pm ET, Saturday, August 22, 2026

Venue:  Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +135, Diamondbacks -163; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +135, Diamondbacks -165; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +135, Diamondbacks -165; Over/Under:  8 runs

Cincinnati Reds:  61-67 (5th place, NL Central)

Arizona Diamondbacks:  67-61 (3rd place, NL West)

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Cincinnati Reds:  4-6 last 10

Arizona Diamondbacks:  5-5 last 10

The Reds are entering this series off a loss and lost their 5-game series against the St Louis Cardinals 3-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 61-67 record overall and have a road record of 29-31. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Diamondbacks on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 25th in the MLB with a .695 OPS. Nick Lodolo is their starting pitcher on Friday while Rhett Lowder is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 4-8 with a 5.17 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 4 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 5 SO on 8 hits through 6.2 IP against the St Louis Cardinals.

The Diamondbacks are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Boston Red Sox 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 67-61 record overall and have a home record of 36-27. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Reds on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 18th in the MLB with a .714 OPS. Eduardo Rodríguez is their starting pitcher on Friday while Michael Soroka is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 8-3 with a 2.93 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts on 6 hits through 5.2 innings pitched against the Atlanta Braves.

The current betting odds have the Diamondbacks listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Diamondbacks have looked good in their games this season with their 67-61 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL West. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 36-27 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Reds haven't looked great in their games this season with their 61-67 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't been a good road team either with their 29-31 road record this year. The Reds were making a push for the last Wild Card spot in the NL, but now they are 4-6 in their last 10 games and quickly slipping away from the race after a series loss to the Cardinals. The Diamondbacks are 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they have also been pushing for the last Wild Card spot and will be motivated in this series as they find themselves right outside that last spot. The Diamondbacks are going with Soroka in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 8-3 with a 2.93 ERA and has missed some time due to injury, but he has picked up right where he left. He is coming off another great start giving up 2 earned runs which has been a common theme for him this season and the team has been having success with him lately, winning 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Reds are going with Lowder in this one and he hasn't looked great this year. He is 4-8 with a 5.17 ERA and he has been giving up quite a few runs all season. His team has been having a lot of success with him lately, winning 4 of their last 5 games with him starting, but that hasn't been the case for most of the year. He is also coming off a bad start in which he gave up 4 earned runs and that has been a common theme for him lately. Look for the Diamondbacks to take advantage of this pitching matchup as they have a real shot at the NL Wild Card while the Reds continue to slip out of the race. The best way to place a bet here is on the Diamondbacks to win this game. 

Reds Diamondbacks Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 22, 2026 (8:10 pm ET start time) is Diamondbacks 5 Reds 2.

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Cincinnati Reds: 220-233 (-7.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 114-131 (-20 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 49-65 (-9 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better. 11-6 UNDER vs. a starting pitcher whose winning percentage is better than 70%.

Arizona Diamondbacks: 235-217 (+8.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 108-87 (+7.7 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a slugging percentage of .400 or worse on the season. 46-46 (+10.4 units) on the moneyline vs. good power teams - averaging 1.25 or more HR's/game. 23-9 UNDER vs. good power teams - averaging 1.25 or more HR's/game.

Cincinnati Reds:  H. Greene (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Dunn (CF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. S. Steer (1B) Ten Day IL - Wrist. T. Santillan (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. G. Ashcraft (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. B. Williamson (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

Arizona Diamondbacks:  K. Marte (2B) Ten Day IL - Knee. R. Thompson (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. D. Jameson (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Hip. Z. Gallen (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. L. Gurriel Jr. (LF) Ten Day IL - Adductor. T. Troy (LF) Ten Day IL - Shoulder. R. Nelson (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Walston (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Mena (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. A. Puk (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Burnes (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Saalfrank (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

“When you rifle a ball to right field like that, you’re doing a lot of things right fundamentally. They played very deep as an outfield to begin with, and then no doubles. I thought it had enough.” - Terry Francona after his team’s loss against the Cardinals in their game on Thursday.

"I couldn't be more proud of these guys. Winning makes all the bad go away. We've dealt with some difficult circumstances, and they just blocked it all out. You can hear the music bumping in there right now. They deserve it." - Torey Lovullo after his team’s win against the Red Sox in their game on Wednesday.

Elly De La Cruz (S) DH

Sal Stewart (R) 2B

JJ Bleday (L) LF

Tyler Stephenson (R) C

Matt McLain (R) SS

Michael Toglia (S) 1B

Dane Myers (R) CF

Héctor Rodríguez (L) RF

Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B

Ildemaro Vargas (S) 2B

Corbin Carroll (L) RF

Gabriel Moreno (R) C

Geraldo Perdomo (S) SS

Nolan Arenado (R) DH

Tim Tawa (R) 1B

Jordan Lawlar (R) CF

Jose Fernandez (R) 3B

Ryan Waldschmidt (R) LF

Batting Average:  Blake Dunn (.282)

Hits:  Sal Stewart (126)

Home Runs:  Sal Stewart (27)

RBI:  Sal Stewart (96)

Stolen Bases:  Elly De La Cruz (22)

Wins:  Chase Burns (14)

Saves:  Emilio Pagán (16)

ERA:  Chase Burns (2.51)

Batting Average:  Gabriel Moreno (.307)

Hits:  Ketel Marte (117)

Home Runs:  Ketel Marte (21)

RBI:  Ketel Marte (67)

Stolen Bases:  Corbin Carroll (17)

Wins:  Eduardo Rodriguez (12)

Saves:  Paul Sewald (24)

ERA:  Dennis Santana (0.00)

Managers:

Cincinnati Reds: Terry Francona (2nd season)

Arizona Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo (10th season)