The Cincinnati Reds are still in pursuit of a spot in the postseason tournament and are attempting to secure a series sweep as they play the final game of a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday evening. Cincinnati (67-60), coming off three consecutive victories following 4-1 and 6-4 wins over Los Angeles in the first two games of the series, sits one game behind the New York Mets (67-58) for the final Wild Card position in the National League.
Gavin Lux put the Reds ahead early in the first game of the series with a leadoff home run, his fifth of the season, after TJ Friedl started the game with a single. Noelvi Marte and Miguel Andujar each contributed two RBIs in the second game, and Friedl’s sacrifice fly in the ninth inning broke a tie, followed by an RBI double from Lux.
Nick Martinez (10-9, 4.73 ERA) is hoping to earn his fifth straight win as he starts for Cincinnati on Wednesday. The 35-year-old right-hander, who had a no-decision in his previous start after allowing six runs in 2.2 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, has a 3-3 record with a 3.02 ERA in 13 career appearances (five as a reliever) against Los Angeles.
The Angels (60-66), who have lost four of their last five games after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers and are now 7.5 games out of a Wild Card spot in the American League, will start Yusei Kikuchi (6-8, 3.52). The 34-year-old Japanese left-hander is coming off his second loss in his last 11 starts, where he allowed four runs in four innings against the Athletics. Kikuchi faced the Reds once in 2022 while with the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing two runs in 4.1 innings in a no-decision.
In addition to the Reds-Angels game, there are nine other MLB games, a WNBA game, and four quarterfinal matches in the 2025 Leagues Cup scheduled for the evening.
Here’s a quick look at the games to watch and bet on for Wednesday, August 20. All times are Eastern
MLB best bets, where to watch
Reds at Angels
Time: 9:38 p.m. | Location: Anaheim, Cal. | TV: MLB Network | Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine pick — Model: Over 9 (-104)
The Reds have secured victories in four consecutive games played away from their home field, with a combined score of at least 10 runs in two of the last three games. The Angels have played in 13 games with 10 or more runs. The SportsLine Projection Model predicts a high-scoring series finale, with the Over hitting in over 57% of its simulations.
Giants at Padres
Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: San Diego | TV: MLB Network | Steam: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine pick — Model: Padres -156
These NL West rivals have split the first two games of their four-game series, with San Francisco narrowly defeating San Diego 4-3 in the first game, and the Padres responding with a 5-1 victory on Tuesday. That win brought an end to a four-game losing streak for San Diego, which is two games behind the Dodgers in the division, but still holds a wild Card spot. The model predicts the Padres will win in 62% of its simulations against Giants starter Landen Roupp, who did not secure a win against San Diego in two previous starts this season.
More MLB best bets
WNBA best bets, where to watch
Wings at Sparks
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Los Angeles | TV: League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine pick — Expert prop: Paige Bueckers Over 18.5 points (-120)
The Sparks were victorious in the first two matchups against the Wings this year, with both games taking place in Dallas. Bueckers is the leading scorer for the Wings, averaging 18.8 points per game, and had a game-high 29 points in Dallas’ 97-96 loss to Los Angeles last Friday. SportsLine’s Max Meyer anticipates another strong performance from Bueckers in this game.
Leagues Cup best bets, where to watch
Inter Miami vs. Tigres UANL
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | TV: FS1 | Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine pick — Expert prop: Tigres UANL Over 1.5 goals (+105)
Inter Miami did not manage to keep a clean sheet during the league portion of the tournament, while Tigres UANL scored at least once in each of their three matches. The team scored a total of seven goals in those matches, which was the most among Liga MX teams. SportsLine soccer expert Brandt Sutton notes that Tigres have historically posed a challenge for MLS teams and expects them to score multiple goals in this game.
Looking ahead: Stanford at Hawaii
Time: 7:30 p.m. Saturday | Location: Honolulu | TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+
SportsLine picks — Model: Stanford +109 | Expert: Hawaii +2.5
The college football season is set to kick off on Saturday with five games, including a game between Stanford and Hawaii. Both teams had difficult seasons in 2024, with the Cardinal winning three of their 12 games and the Rainbow Warriors finishing with a 5-7 record. Stanford has won all four games in the series, including a 37-24 victory two years ago.
Hawaii, which has hosted all four previous games, is favored by 2.5 points for Saturday, and the over/under is set at 50.5 points. However, the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates each college football game 10,000 times, projects Stanford to win outright with a final score of 28-24. Click here to see the model’s score and player projections for every FBS game on the college football schedule on Saturday.
