Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago White Sox Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/12/2026

Game Time: 7:40 pm ET, Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Venue:  Rate Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +119, White Sox -144; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +120, White Sox -145; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +120, White Sox -145; Over/Under:  9 runs

Cincinnati Reds:  56-61 (5th place, NL Central)

Chicago White Sox:  61-56 (1st place, AL Central)

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Cincinnati Reds:  6-4 last 10

Chicago White Sox:  5-5 last 10

The Reds are entering this series off a loss and got swept in their 3-game series against the Washington Nationals 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 56-61 record overall and have a road record of 27-30. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the White Sox on Wednesday with the series opener still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 23rd in the MLB with a .706 OPS. Nick Lodolo is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Rhett Lowder is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 4-7 with a 5.26 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 3 SO on 4 hits through 6 IP against the Athletics.

The White Sox are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 61-56 record overall and have a home record of 36-22. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Reds on Wednesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 13th in the MLB with a .722 OPS. Sean Burke is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Luis Castillo is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 3-9 with a 5.30 ERA this season. His team lost 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 earned runs, 1 homer, and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts on 6 hits through 4 innings pitched against the Boston Red Sox.

The current betting odds have the White Sox listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The White Sox have looked good in their games this season with their 61-56 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL Central. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 36-22 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Reds haven't looked great in their games this season with their 56-61 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't been a good road team either with their 27-30 road record this year. The Reds are 6-4 in their last 10 games and were getting themselves back into the Wild Card race, but they got swept by the Nationals over the weekend and have lost a lot of their momentum now. The White Sox are only 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they just won a big series over the Guardians and will have the better pitching matchup here. The White Sox are going with Castillo in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 3-9 with a 5.30 ERA and he had a lot of trouble with the Mariners this season. His team has lost 4 of their last 5 games with him starting and he gave up 5 earned runs in his last start too, but this is a better landing spot for him after his debut with the White Sox and he will be looking to have a better start. The Reds are going with Lowder in this one and he hasn't looked good this season either. He is 4-7 with a 5.26 ERA and he has been giving up a ton of runs this year. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start and the team has been having more success with him lately, winning 3 games in a row now with him starting, but that hasn't been a common theme for him. The Reds bullpen has also been giving up a lot of runs lately and the White Sox do have the stronger offense to do some damage with, also looking a lot better in home games all season. The best way to place a bet here is on the White Sox to win this game. 

Reds White Sox Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, August 12, 2026 (7:40 pm ET start time) is White Sox 9 Reds 6.

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Cincinnati Reds: 103-118 (+6.8 units) on the moneyline in road games. 73-63 (+13.7 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 165-161 (+10 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 10-5 OVER against AL Central opponents.

Chicago White Sox: 11-28 (-12.8 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 162-279 (-55.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 92-128 (-12 units) on the moneyline in home games. 23-13 OVER against NL Central opponents.

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

Chicago White Sox:  C. Meidroth (2B) Day To Day - Wrist. C. Murphy (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Flexor. J. Bart (C) Ten Day IL - Hand. K. Teel (C) Ten Day IL - Ankle. J. Leasure (RP) Sixty Day IL - Flexor. T. Murray (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. P. Berroa (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Baldwin (LF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. M. Vasil (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Thorpe (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. K. Bush (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“That’s a tough ask, because they’re not going to hit every game. It’s just the way it is. But when they don’t, it gets a little more glaring. They had a bullpen day today and I thought we kind of started chasing, trying to hit everything. They go fast, slow, fast, slow. And [we] started getting into that rocking chair where instead of being stubborn enough to sit on something, we tried to hit everything and kind of played into their hand.” - Terry Francona after his team’s loss against the Nationals in their game on Sunday. 

“You have these plans to get these young guys a nice soft landing spot. Second inning after a rain delay is not something that I think he's done before, and so a challenging situation. As his outing unfolded, he was challenged there in his second inning. It was a really good test for him, and obviously he came through.” - Will Venable after his team’s win against the Guardians in their game on Sunday. 

Elly De La Cruz (S) SS

Sal Stewart (R) 1B

JJ Bleday (L) LF

Tyler Stephenson (R) C

Eugenio Suárez (R) DH

Héctor Rodríguez (L) RF

Dane Myers (R) CF

Matt McLain (R) 2B

Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B

Brenton Doyle (R) CF

Munetaka Murakami (L) 1B

Miguel Vargas (R) 3B

Randal Grichuk (R) LF

Braden Montgomery (S) RF

Colson Montgomery (L) DH

Edgar Quero (S) C

Sam Antonacci (L) 2B

Luisangel Acuña (R) SS

Batting Average:  Blake Dunn (.282)

Hits:  Sal Stewart (113)

Home Runs:  Sal Stewart (25)

RBI:  Sal Stewart (87)

Stolen Bases:  Elly De La Cruz (21)

Wins:  Chase Burns (13)

Saves:  Emilio Pagán (13)

ERA:  Chase Burns (2.61)

Batting Average:  Brenton Doyle (.286)

Hits:  Chase Meidroth (114)

Home Runs:  Colson Montgomery (26)

RBI:  Colson Montgomery (68)

Stolen Bases:  Luisangel Acuña (16)

Wins:  Davis Martin (9)

Saves:  Seranthony Domínguez (12)

ERA:  Hagen Smith (0.00)

Managers:

Cincinnati Reds: Terry Francona (2nd season)

Chicago White Sox: Will Venable (2nd season)