Cincinnati Reds vs Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/21/2026

Game Time: 9:40 pm ET, Friday, August 21, 2026

Venue:  Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +124, Diamondbacks -150; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +125, Diamondbacks -150; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +125, Diamondbacks -150; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Cincinnati Reds:  61-66 (5th place, NL Central)

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

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Cincinnati Reds:  5-5 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 61-66 record overall and have a road record of 29-31. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Diamondbacks on Friday. Their offense ranks 25th in the MLB with a .695 OPS. Brady Singer was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Nick Lodolo is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 3-2 with a 4.52 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 2 SO on 3 hits through 5 IP against the Miami Marlins.

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 1st game of a 3-game series with the Reds on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 18th in the MLB with a .714 OPS. Brandon Pfaadt was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Eduardo Rodríguez is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 12-4 with a 2.71 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 0 walks with 5 strikeouts on 5 hits through 6 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 61-66 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 are 5-5 in their last 10 games and they haven't looked great lately. They just lost a 5-game series against the Cardinals and they have been giving up a ton of runs lately. The Diamondbacks haven't looked any better lately, also 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they have played themselves back into the NL Wild Card race and they are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Diamondbacks are going with Rodriguez in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 12-4 with a 2.71 ERA and he has been their ace this season. He is coming off another great start giving up 2 earned runs which has been a common theme for him this year and the team has been having a lot of success with him too, winning 2 games in a row now with him starting. The Reds are going with Lodolo in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 3-2 with a 4.52 ERA and he has been giving up quite a few runs in his starts. He didn't give up any runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year and the team has still lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Diamondbacks have looked a lot better in their home games this season and they have a real shot at the last Wild Card spot, so look for them to take advantage of this pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Diamondbacks to win this game. 

Reds Diamondbacks Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 21, 2026 (9:40 pm ET start time) is Diamondbacks 3 Reds 1.

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Cincinnati Reds: 220-232 (-6.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 86-114 (-12.1 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +150. 51-67 (-17 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 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:  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.

“That’s normally where the second baseman goes out. But because of Elly’s arm, he tries to be the lead guy as long as he can get to it.” - Terry Francona after his team’s win against the Cardinals in their game on Wednesday.

"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 (125)

Home Runs:  Sal Stewart (27)

RBI:  Sal Stewart (94)

Stolen Bases:  Elly De La Cruz (21)

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)