The Los Angeles Angels host the Cincinnati Reds on August 20, 2025. First pitch from Angel Stadium is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. EDT; the game will be broadcast on FDSOH.
Find my MLB betting preview and Reds vs Angels prediction below with odds, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
My Reds vs Angels Prediction
- Reds vs Angels picks: Angels ML
My Reds vs Angels prediction is Angels moneyline. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Reds vs Angels Odds
| Reds Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -190 | 8.5 -120o / 100u | +110 |
| Angels Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +155 | 8.5 -120o / 100u | -135 |
Reds vs Angels Projected Starting Pitchers
| RHP Nick Martinez (CIN) | Stat | LHP Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) |
|---|---|---|
| 10-9 | W-L | 6-8 |
| 1.9 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 2.2 |
| 4.73 / 4.15 | ERA /xERA | 3.52 / 4.50 |
| 4.28 / 4.43 | FIP / xFIP | 4.08 / 4.14 |
| 1.23 | WHIP | 1.44 |
| 11.3% | K-BB% | 14.2% |
| 38.1% | GB% | 37.8% |
| 91 | Stuff+ | 96 |
| 110 | Location+ | 105 |
Kenny Ducey’s Reds vs Angels Preview
Cincinnati Reds Betting Preview: Ol' Unreliable
Just when you thought the Reds were making a push for the final wild-card spot, here comes Nick Martinez and his 4.73 ERA to make you sweat.
The right-hander was once a great high-leverage reliever, but he's been miscast as a starter with Cincinnati. There have been some bright spots, like a seven-inning gem a couple of weeks ago versus Pittsburgh, and at the very least, he's been able to contain opposing offenses to just two or fewer runs in all but one of his last seven outings.
The unfortunate news is that the righty has struggled in one key area — contact. He's never been one for strikeouts, and he's managed to hold his walk rate down in an excellent range over the last two seasons. He's also had a brutal time this season in pitching to fly balls with a .270 Expected Batting Average and .433 Expected Slugging, and while he's been an average arm for the last few years at best, he's dipped below average with these marks.
Martinez's xBA has reached a season high at .313 this August, with his xSLG hitting .563, so the 6.00 ERA through four turns is pretty telling of how bad he's been. It would appear this converted bullpen arm is running out of steam just as he did last August as well.
Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview: Kikuchi Slowing Down
Yusei Kikuchi, like his counterpart, appears to be hitting a wall in the latter stages of this season. He owns a .289 xBA and .500 xSLG this month, which are just narrowly worse than his already-brutal July numbers, but the most concerning part of all is that he's failed to induce the whiffs that made him so effective earlier in the year.
Kikuchi's whiff rate is a lousy 18.4% in August, and as a result, his strikeout rate has sat around a modest 24%. It's certainly not the worst range for the veteran to be in, but he did begin this year pushing 30% in that category after striking out 28% of the batters he faced last year.
Without the whiffs, it's going to be an adventure for Kikuchi. He's pitched to a ton of fly balls, leaving him vulnerable as ever to the home run, but unlike many fly-ballers, he owns a poor .258 xBA on the season. His walk rate is now pushing 10% to boot after a bad start to the month, but he could be offered some reprieve by the Reds, as we will get to.
Reds vs Angels Prediction, Betting Analysis
The Reds may be keeping it up in the winning column, but their offense has been flat over the last two weeks with a meek 91 wRC+.
What I fear here for the Reds is twofold. First, their plate discipline and power numbers have been severely lacking against lefties — and against anyone in the last 14 days. If Kikuchi can find his strikeout touch again, particularly with this game set in L.A. and now Cincinnati, I'm just not sure how this team, which has been predicated around contact hitting, will survive.
On the opposite end of the stick, the writing is very much on the wall for Martinez at this stage of the season, and the Angels have done a great job of impacting the baseball with a .191 ISO in the last two weeks. They've been severely victimized by the strikeout, which has been a dilemma for this team all season, but without the ability to miss bats or generate chases out of the zone, we are going to see Martinez act like a bullpen pitcher here.
I'm going to side with the home favorites, despite the narrative pointing towards Cincy.
Pick: Angels ML (-134) | Play to -140
Moneyline
I'm picking the Angels to win.
Run Line (Spread)
Pass.
Over/Under
Pass.
Reds vs Angels Betting Trends
