April 2 Rangers vs Reds: Analysis of Odds, Picks, and Predictions

• The Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds meet in a Wednesday matinee on April 2nd
• Texas sends Jack Leiter to the mound opposite Cincinnati’s opening-day starter, Hunter Greene
• See the Rangers vs Reds odds, picks, and predictions for today’s first MLB game on the docket

The Texas Rangers (4-2, 1-1 away) meet the Cincinnati Reds (2-3, 2-3 home) at Great American Ball Park at 12:40 pm ET on Wednesday afternoon. The pitching matchup features two young flamethrowers, the Rangers’ Jack Leiter against the Hunter Greene, the ace of the Reds’ staff. With their top arm on the mound, Cincinnati is a slight favorite in the Rangers vs Reds odds.

Rangers vs Reds Odds

The Reds come in as -135 moneyline favorite, which gives Cincinnati a 57.45% implied win probability. The Rangers come back as +115 road underdogs (46.51% implied win probability). The run total is sitting at 8.5 with the over slightly favored at -115.

Odds as of April 2 at Caesars. Get the Caesars Sportsbook promo code to bet on Tuesday’s MLB games.

The teams split the first two games of the series in wildly different fashion. Cincinnati beat up on Texas with a 14-3 drubbing on Monday. Texas answered back with a 1-0 shutout victory on Tuesday, behind an eight-strikeout complete game from veteran Nathan Eovaldi. The teams combined for just eight hits. Wyatt Langford’s first-inning home run stood up as the only run of the game.

TEX vs CIN Starting Pitchers

The 25-year-old Greene is coming off the best season of his young career, posting a rock-solid 2.70 ERA in a career-high 150.1 innings. He led the Reds’ pitching staff in innings, K/9, ERA, WHIP, and WAR.

He went five solid innings in his first start of the season, allowing two runs on three hits – both runs coming on a Heliot Ramos homer in the fourth – while striking out eight and walking just one batter.

In a limited sample size of 25 at-bats, Greene has been excellent against the Texas hitters. He’s limited the Ranger bats to a .160 average and .582 OPS. Joc Pederson is the only player to take him yard.

Greene’s counterpart, 24-year-old Jack Leiter, has never faced any of the Reds hitters before. His first start of 2025 was his best appearance in the bigs after a very spotty 35.2 innings last season. Leiter went 5.0 innings against Boston in a 4-1 Texas victory, allowing one run on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

Leiter showed a huge jump in velocity from last year. His average four-seam velocity in 2024 was a still-impressive 96.7 mph. But against the Bo-Sox, it was cranked up to 98.2.

Rangers vs Reds Prediction & Picks

The Rangers are just two years removed from a World Series crown but they were a wildly disappointing 78-84 while trying to defend that title last year and that includes a dismal 34-47 road record.

Greene was tagged for a two-run homer in his first start, but his peripherals were excellent. He had a 1.06 xERA against the Giants last week, and was averaging exactly 99.0 mph on his four-seamer.

Leiter certainly looked improved in his first start compared to last year, he might wind up having a solid season, but I don’t trust him nearly as much as I trust Greene at this stage.

• Reds moneyline (-135) at Caesars
• Greene over 6.5 Ks (-120) at DraftKings

The Texas Rangers will face off against the Cincinnati Reds on April 2 in what is sure to be an exciting matchup. Both teams are coming off of strong seasons and will be looking to start the new season on a high note.

Looking at the odds for this game, the Rangers are currently slight underdogs with a moneyline of +120, while the Reds are favored with a moneyline of -140. The over/under for the game is set at 8.5 runs, indicating that oddsmakers are expecting a relatively low-scoring affair.

In terms of picks and predictions, it’s always important to consider the starting pitchers for each team. For the Rangers, Kyle Gibson is expected to take the mound. Gibson had a solid season last year, posting a 3.84 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. On the other side, the Reds will likely start Luis Castillo, who had a strong season as well with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.

Given the pitching matchup, this game has the potential to be a low-scoring affair. Both Gibson and Castillo are capable of shutting down opposing lineups, so runs may be hard to come by. With that in mind, taking the under on the 8.5 run total could be a smart play.

In terms of a winner, the Reds have the slight edge in this matchup. They have a strong lineup led by players like Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez, and Castillo is a formidable pitcher on the mound. While the Rangers certainly have the talent to pull off an upset, the Reds are the safer bet in this game.

Overall, this matchup between the Rangers and Reds is shaping up to be a close and competitive game. With solid pitching on both sides and strong lineups, fans can expect an exciting game with plenty of action. It will be interesting to see which team comes out on top in this early season showdown.