San Diego Padres vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction: A high-scoring encounter

On Wednesday, Major League Baseball will see the San Diego Padres take on the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. The first two games of this series have ended in a split. How will this finale end?

The San Diego Padres responded to their game one defeat and pulled off a 6-4 win in game 2 earlier today. However, a look at this team's recent games shows that they have struggled heavily, with one win in their last six games. In that run, the San Diego Padres lost to the Philadelphia Phillies with their last game of a series against the Rockies ending in a 10-9 defeat. The San Diego Padres have scored 14 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 5 of their last 8 games. The San Diego Padres have won 9 of their last 12 games when scoring 4 or more runs. The San Diego Padres have a 15-18 record this season, good enough to place them 11th in the standings.

For the finale, the projected pitcher will be Joe Musgrove for the San Diego Padres. Musgrove has a 3-3 record this season with a 6.94 ERA and 27 strikeouts. In his career against the Cincinnati Reds, Musgrove has a 6-2 record with a 3.83 ERA and 51 strikeouts.

Cincinnati Reds started the series with a 2-5 win in game one, and game 2, they lost. However, the prior series to this saw the Reds pick just one win over the Texas Rangers, a sweep over the Los Angeles Angels, and two wins in four games against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cincinnati Reds have scored 12 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 5 of their last 8 games. The Cincinnati Reds have won 9 of their last 10 games when scoring 4 or more runs. The Cincinnati Reds have a 16-14 record this season and are 6th in the National League standings.

For this finale, the Reds will send Graham Ashcraft on the mound. Graham has a 3-1 record this season with a 4.40 ERA and 26 strikeouts. Graham Ashcraft has allowed 14 earned runs in 28.2 innings and has allowed at least 1 homer in 4 of his 5 starts.

Joe Musgrove is a good pitcher, but last month, he struggled in his worst start to a season. Graham Ashcraft has had some of his best moments this season but has been shaky on the road. The Reds and Padres have lineups capable of giving these two shaky pitchers trouble. This should be a competitive encounter, and I will take the over here, with the Cincinnati Reds expected to win.