Cincinnati Reds at Washington Nationals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
CIN	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	1
WSH	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	3	—	7	13	0

First pitch is a 12:15 PM ET matinee, with Brady Singer taking the ball for Cincinnati against Brad Lord for Washington. Singer's coming off a start where he struck out 6 over 6 innings against Oakland but didn't factor in the decision, while Lord has been a relief weapon all year and only just moved into the rotation — Sunday is literally just his second career start.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Reds(56-60)

LLWWW

1

-1.5+167+104o9.5+117

Nationals(58-61)

WWLWL

7

+1.5-170-106u9.5-115

Best BetReds -106

Pregame

The market has this close to a true coin flip even after Cincinnati dropped the first two games of this series, which tells you the price hasn't fully caught up to the recent results. Singer's swing-and-miss stuff in his last outing gives the Reds a real path to snap the skid, and getting a near-even number on a team that was rolling just days ago is where the value sits.

The Reds are dealing with more than a bad weekend. Hunter Greene, their ace, is done for the year after Terry Francona and the front office announced he needs a second elbow surgery, this time for a partial UCL tear. That's on top of an already thin staff, with Brandon Williamson, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft all working back from injury at various points. Cincinnati simply doesn't have the pitching depth it had a month ago, and it's showing.

Brady Singer

(5-11)·4.72 ERA

Aug 4 vs Athletics

ND

6.0IP

3ER

6K

3BB

101P

08/09 Lineup

Brad Lord

(5-2)·3.88 ERA

Jul 1 @ Red Sox

ND

2.1IP

0ER

1K

2BB

53P

08/09 Lineup

Washington isn't at full strength either. James Wood, in the middle of an MVP-caliber season, has been out since early August with an oblique strain, and the Nationals have had to lean on the rest of the lineup to pick up the slack. They've done it — outscoring Cincinnati 13-3 across the first two games of this set — but losing a bat like that for any stretch is a real subtraction, not a footnote.

Cincinnati Reds

(56-60)

Aug 8L@ Nationals2-8

Aug 7L@ Nationals3-5

Aug 6Wvs Athletics6-5

Aug 5Wvs Athletics3-2

Aug 4Wvs Athletics5-4

Washington Nationals

(58-61)

Aug 8Wvs Reds8-2

Aug 7Wvs Reds5-3

Aug 6L@ Phillies3-7

Aug 5W@ Phillies10-4

Aug 4L@ Phillies0-5

Cincinnati was actually rolling before it got to Washington, having taken 3 straight from Oakland. That win column has since gone cold against the Nationals, and it says something that a team playing .500-ish baseball can look genuinely overmatched for two straight days. Washington, meanwhile, has now won 2 in a row and gets a chance to finish off the sweep in front of its home fans.

Cincinnati Reds

(7)

• 10-Day-ILSpencer Steer (1B) — Steer will wear a splint for the next two weeks after being diagnosed with a partial tear of the tendon sheath in his right wrist, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.07/27
• 15-Day-ILHunter Greene (SP) — Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Friday that Greene has been diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in his right elbow and will undergo surgery next week, Brian Giesenschlag of Reds Live reports.08/07
• 15-Day-ILNick Lodolo (SP) — Reds manager Terry Francona said that Lodolo (finger) will return from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's road game against the White Sox, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.08/06
• 15-Day-ILTony Santillan (RP) — Santillan (oblique) was cleared Friday to begin an expedited recovery program, MLB.com reports.08/01
• 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson (SP) — Williamson (shoulder) will make his next rehab start at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.08/09
• 60-Day-ILBlake Dunn (CF) — The Reds transferred Dunn (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Thursday.08/06
• 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft (RP) — Ashcraft (elbow) is on a throwing program, which will have him throw from 105 feet beginning July 20 at the Reds' training facility in Arizona, MLB.com reports.07/18

Washington Nationals

(9)

• 10-Day-ILJames Wood (RF) — The Nationals placed Wood on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to an oblique strain, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.08/04
• 10-Day-ILDrew Millas (C) — Milias went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.07/15
• 15-Day-ILConnelly Early (SP) — Early (elbow) will not be sent for an MRI after he felt some minor forearm tightness during a live batting practice session Tuesday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.08/07
• 60-Day-ILRichard Lovelady (RP) — Lovelady (triceps) threw a light bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.08/08
• 60-Day-ILJosiah Gray (SP) — Gray (elbow) completed a bullpen session at the Nationals' spring training facility in Florida on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.08/08
• 60-Day-ILDJ Herz (SP) — Herz (elbow) will resume his rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Saturday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.08/06
• 60-Day-ILPJ Poulin (RP) — The Nationals transferred Poulin (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.08/02
• 60-Day-ILMitchell Parker (RP) — Parker underwent elbow ligament repair surgery with an internal brace Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.07/30
• 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk (RP) — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.06/11

Both rosters are banged up enough that neither team is playing with a full deck, which makes Sunday's finale less about who's healthier and more about who's better at scoring around it. With temperatures near 92 degrees and two shorthanded lineups swinging it, this has the look of a game that could get away from both starters fast.