Cincinnati Reds vs San Diego Padres Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 09/09/25

The Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres continue on Tuesday night after the Padres won Monday’s series opener, 4-3 in extra innings. The Padres currently trail the Dodgers by only 1 game in the division. The Reds still think of themselves as a playoff contender, but they are 4 games back, have another team to leapfrog, and are fighting to stay above .500. It also seems like every time the Reds go out west, the get worked over. But they are also dramatic, and there is always the possibility of late-inning fireworks with this Reds team, one way or another, so I like this game to go over the total of 7.5.

On the mound is Zack Littell for Cincy. The trade acquisition is probably their worst starter, and he rarely escapes without giving up several runs. Opponents have scored at least 4 runs in 3 straight Littell starts, and 4 of his last 5. He will face Michael King, who is once again returning from the IL. He missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, made one start in early August, then hurt his knee. It is hard to imagine that he will be sharp or stretched out enough to go very far into this game. The Padres have baseball’s best bullpen, so it shouldn’t hurt their chances of winning, but it seems like a spot where both starters could give up runs, and we should be over this run total safely.

Reds vs Padres Prediction: Over 7.5 (-120) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.