Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago White Sox Picks and Prediction for Thursday, August 13, 2026

The Cincinnati Reds visit the Chicago White Sox on Thursday at 2:10 PM ET at Rate Field. Cincinnati is 57-61, fourth in the NL Central and 16 games behind Milwaukee after Tuesday’s 5-4, 10-inning win over Chicago. The Reds have won two of their last five. Chicago is 61-57 and sits first in the AL Central, 2.5 games ahead of Detroit, despite Tuesday’s loss. The White Sox have won two of their last five and are 36-23 at home. Cash in a big winner with our free MLB picks.

Cincinnati Reds Need More From Their Lineup

Cincinnati ranks 30th in MLB with a .228 batting average, scoring 487 runs with 155 home runs, a .308 on-base percentage and .396 slugging percentage. Sal Stewart has supplied much of the production with 25 home runs, 87 RBIs and 114 hits while batting .254. Elly De La Cruz is hitting .271 with a team-best .351 on-base percentage, 20 homers, 56 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. JJ Bleday has added 20 home runs, while Eugenio Suarez has 17. The Reds scored five Tuesday but had totaled only six runs over their previous three games.

Cincinnati’s pitching staff enters with a 4.47 ERA and 1.40 WHIP while opponents are batting .245. The Reds have recorded 947 strikeouts and allowed enough traffic to make Andrew Abbott’s start important. Cincinnati is 28-30 on the road and 25-22 in day games. 

Injuries: Brandon Williamson (60-Day IL), Graham Ashcraft (60-Day IL), Tony Santillan (15-Day IL), Spencer Steer (10-Day IL), Blake Dunn (60-Day IL).

Chicago White Sox Have Home-Field Advantage

Chicago is batting .236 with a .316 on-base percentage and .406 slugging percentage while scoring 561 runs. Munetaka Murakami leads the White Sox with 26 home runs and owns a .908 OPS, while Miguel Vargas has 25 homers and 68 RBIs. Chase Meidroth leads the club with a .274 average and 114 hits but is listed day-to-day. Chicago has scored at least four runs in four of its last five games, including 11 against Boston and five and six in consecutive wins over Cleveland.

The White Sox rank 13th in MLB pitching with a 4.11 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, better marks than Cincinnati’s staff. Chicago has held opponents to a .240 batting average while recording 988 strikeouts. The White Sox have also been considerably better at Rate Field, where they are 36-23. The roster changed somewhat around the trade deadline. Randal Grichuk came from the Yankees and is batting .276 with nine homers in 65 total games, while Brenton Doyle arrived after 45 games with Colorado. 

Injuries: Chase Meidroth (Day-To-Day), Jordan Leasure (60-Day IL), Drew Thorpe (60-Day IL), Prelander Berroa (60-Day IL), Chris Murphy (15-Day IL).

Pitching Matchup

Cincinnati Reds – Andrew Abbott

Abbott enters Thursday at 6-7 with a 3.92 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 128.2 innings. The left-hander has allowed 118 hits, 61 walks and 17 home runs while striking out 99. Abbott has performed better than Cincinnati’s 4.47 team ERA, but the 179 combined hits and walks show that baserunners have been a regular concern.

Chicago White Sox – Undecided

Chicago has not announced a starting pitcher for Thursday. Chicago owns the stronger season-long staff numbers with a 4.11 ERA and 1.31 WHIP compared with Cincinnati’s 4.47 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago White Sox Game Pick

• Chicago White Sox

Chicago is the pick based on its strong home record and better overall production. The White Sox are 36-23 at Rate Field, while Cincinnati enters just 28-30 on the road. Chicago has also scored 74 more runs this season and owns advantages in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Abbott provides Cincinnati with a known starter while Chicago’s pitcher remains undecided, but the Reds rank last in MLB in batting average. Chicago’s deeper run production and home results provide the stronger case Thursday.

Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago White Sox Over/Under Pick

• Over

The over is the preferred play with Cincinnati carrying a 4.47 team ERA and 1.40 WHIP into a matchup against a Chicago lineup that has recently produced more offense. The White Sox have scored at least four runs in four of their last five games, while Cincinnati’s previous four have produced combined totals of nine, eight, 15, and 11 runs. Abbott has a 1.39 WHIP, and Chicago has not named its starter. Those factors create enough scoring opportunities to favor a game finishing above the closing total.