Cincinnati Reds vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 04/22/26

Cincinnati made a statement in the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, erupting for 12 runs on ten hits while holding the Rays to six runs. The Reds pitching staff has been dominant lately, posting a 2.97 ERA over their last 10 games, and they’ll look to carry that momentum into Wednesday afternoon. Left-hander Brandon Williamson will get the ball for Cincinnati. After a tough season debut, he settled in nicely, going 2-0 while allowing just four earned runs across 16 innings in his last few starts. On the other side, the Rays will turn to Nick Martinez, who owns a strong 2.45 ERA but is still searching for his first win of the season. 

Elly De La Cruz is starting to heat up for Cincinnati, going 3-for-6 last night with two home runs. While Tampa Bay’s offense was one of the hottest in the league earlier this season, it has cooled off recently, hitting just .230 over the last seven games. The bigger concern in this matchup is the Rays bullpen. They were tagged for eight runs over six innings last night, and they don’t give me much confidence they can shut things down this afternoon. The Rays bullpen holds a 5.70 ERA this season, not a stat you want to see. With Cincinnati holding the edge both on the mound and at the plate, and facing a Rays bullpen that has struggled, the Reds are in a strong position to keep things rolling this afternoon. 

Reds vs Rays prediction: Reds ML (+115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.