Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta Braves Picks and Prediction for Thursday, September 24, 2026

The Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves meet Thursday at Truist Park, with the opening pitch scheduled for 7:15 PM ET and the game televised on MLB.TV and FS1. Cincinnati is 73-84, 35-41 away and fifth in the NL Central, 25 games behind Milwaukee. The Reds have been eliminated from playoff contention but beat Atlanta 4-0 on Tuesday after losing three of their previous four. Atlanta is 92-65, 51-28 at home and first in the NL East, five games ahead of Philadelphia. The Braves had won three straight before Tuesday’s loss. Let’s get into the matchup and our free MLB picks.

Cincinnati Reds Coming Off a Shutout Win

Cincinnati snapped a two-game slide with Tuesday’s 4-0 victory over Atlanta and is 2-3 across its last five results. Elly De La Cruz is batting .288 with a .370 on-base percentage and .521 slugging percentage, adding 29 home runs, 76 RBI and 29 stolen bases. Sal Stewart has supplied Cincinnati’s top power production with 32 home runs and 110 RBI while batting .267. Eugenio Suarez has 25 homers and 70 RBI, while Tyler Stephenson is batting .246 with 15 home runs.

The Reds rank 30th in MLB with a .229 batting average and have scored 646 runs with 207 home runs, a .306 on-base percentage and .394 slugging percentage. Cincinnati’s pitching staff ranks 28th with a 4.86 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and .255 opponent average. Reds pitchers have allowed 209 home runs and issued 651 walks across 1,390 innings. Cincinnati ranks 19th defensively with 87 errors and a .984 fielding percentage.

Injuries: Tony Santillan (out), Chase Burns (out), Spencer Steer (out), Julian Garcia (out), Michael Toglia (out).

Atlanta Braves Trying to Respond at Home

Atlanta had won three straight before Cincinnati ended the run with Tuesday’s 4-0 result. Matt Olson leads the Braves with 40 home runs and 89 RBI while posting a .504 slugging percentage. Michael Harris II is batting .291 with 26 home runs, 85 RBI and 167 hits. Drake Baldwin has a .284 average, .359 on-base percentage, 24 homers and 77 RBI. Ronald Acuna Jr. is batting .259 with 20 home runs, 55 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

Atlanta ranks ninth in MLB with a .248 batting average and has scored 722 runs with 198 home runs, a .311 on-base percentage and .410 slugging percentage. The Braves rank fifth in pitching with a 3.62 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and .234 opponent average. Atlanta has allowed 176 home runs and struck out 1,314 batters in 1,394 innings. The Braves rank fifth in fielding with 65 errors and a .988 fielding percentage and own a 51-28 home record.

Injuries: Ronald Acuna Jr. (questionable), Robert Suarez (out), Joe Jimenez (out), Reynaldo Lopez (out), Bryce Elder (out).

Pitching Matchup

Cincinnati Reds - Brady Singer

Brady Singer is 6-15 with a 5.67 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 154 innings. He has allowed 181 hits and 31 home runs with 125 strikeouts and 60 walks.

Atlanta Braves - Tyler Mahle

Tyler Mahle is 7-10 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 144 innings. He has allowed 132 hits and 18 home runs with 133 strikeouts and 44 walks.

Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta Braves Game Pick

• Atlanta Braves

Atlanta is the pick with Mahle holding a clear statistical advantage over Singer. Mahle has a 3.81 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, while Singer sits at 5.67 and 1.56 after allowing 181 hits and 31 home runs. Atlanta also has the fifth-ranked pitching staff with a 3.62 ERA, compared with Cincinnati’s 28th-ranked 4.86 mark. The Braves were shut out Tuesday, but their 51-28 home record and deeper lineup create a favorable matchup for the Braves to win Thursday.

Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta Braves Over/Under Pick

• Over

The play is over with Singer’s season numbers creating scoring potential for Atlanta and Cincinnati carrying enough power to contribute. Singer has allowed 31 home runs and 181 hits in 154 innings, while the Braves have hit 198 homers with a .410 slugging percentage. Cincinnati has struggled to hit for average but has still produced 207 home runs, nine more than Atlanta. The Reds also have a 4.86 team ERA and 1.45 WHIP, leaving multiple ways for this matchup to produce runs.