Atlanta Braves vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 9/22/26, 4:07 PM  by Bill Christy in MLB Picks

The Atlanta Braves have clinched the NL East division and are likely settled into the 3rd seed in the postseason. Tonight, they will begin a 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds, who will not be making the postseason.

The Reds are 12 games under .500 and seem to be mailing the rest of the season in. The Reds have lost 10 of their last 13 games, including the last 2 in their series with the Chicago Cubs. In their losses, the runs have been few and far between. They are averaging just 1.2 runs per game over their last 5 losses. They are last in the league in combined batting average and on-base percentage. With numbers like that, it is surprising that they are not more than 12 games under .500.

Atlanta is coming off a sweep of the Houston Astros. They allowed just 7 total runs in those 3 wins over Houston. Tonight, they will throw JR Ritchie. While he is coming off a rough outing against the Cubs where he allowed 6 runs over 4.2 innings, he had been pitching really well prior. He had allowed just 7 runs over his previous 6 starts. This should be a nice bounce-back spot for him against the struggling Reds offense.