Reds, Padres going opposite directions ahead of series

One of baseball's biggest surprises this season meets one of the sport's biggest disappointments when the Cincinnati Reds host the San Diego Padres on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.

The Reds, coming off only the second 100-loss season in their long history, have rebounded in a dramatic way.

The Padres came into 2023 with a star-packed roster and World Series expectations, but they have flopped.

The upstar