The Chicago Cubs (31-32) travel to face off against the Cincinnati Reds (30-33) on Friday, June 7th. This game will be played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and televised on MARQ. The Reds are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cubs are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Reds. First pitch is set for 6:10 CT.
Cubs vs Reds
Cincinnati picked up an 8-4 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Reds had a huge 3rd inning, scoring seven of their eight runs. As for the Cubs, they scored their only two runs in the 6th. Heading into the game, the Reds were favored at -127 on the money line.
Hunter Greene got the win for the Reds, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up four runs. He finished the game with eight strikeouts but issued two walks. Javier Assad had a rough outing for the Cubs, taking the loss after going just 5 2/3 innings and giving up five earned runs.
At the plate, the Reds were led by Will Benson and Tyler Stephenson, as they were the only two Cincinnati hitters to have more than one hit. Benson. Chicago’s top hitter was Seiya Suzuki, who went 2/4 with a home run.
Chicago is 31-32 overall and 5.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cubs are 7-13 against other teams in the NL Central. The Cubs lost the series opener vs. the Reds, and their overall series record is 8-10-2 this year.
At home, the Cubs have gone 18-13 this year and are just under .500 at 13-19 on the road. Chicago has dropped three straight games on the road, and their overall record as the road favorite is 4-4. As the favorite, the Cubs are 15-13 and 16-19 as the underdog.
When the Cubs win, they do so by an average of 3.0 runs, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.3 runs. Their overall run line record is 30-33, including a 18-14 mark on the road. They are 23-12 against the run line as an underdog, but just 7-21 as a favorite.
Chicago’s over/under record for the season is 30-30, and the average line for their games is 8 runs. When the line is set at 9 runs, they are 3-4-2. The Cubs have played in 47 games with lower lines than 9 runs, and just 7 games with higher lines. Their games have averaged exactly 9 runs per game this season.
Justin Steele Gets The Start For The Cubs
Left-hander Justin Steele gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Reds on the road. He has made seven starts this year and has a record of 0-2 with an ERA of 4.10. Opposing batters are hitting .234 off Steele this year. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up one earned run in five innings of work vs. the Reds. Steele has finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings. He has made one quality start this year.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
Christopher Morel comes into today’s game as the Cubs’ home run leader, as he has 12 homers this season, which is 9th in the league. However, he is batting just .205 for the season. Morel has been swinging the bat well of late, going 7/28 in his last nine games, with three homers and six RBIs. Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch are tied for 2nd on the team with eight homers apiece.
As a team, the Cubs are 16th in the league in runs scored at 4.4 runs per game. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 4.4 runs per game (9th). Overall, the Cubs are batting just .227, which is 21st in the league.
Cincinnati is 30-33 overall and trail the Brewers by 6.5 games in the NL Central. The Reds have won five straight games, and they are 5-5 in divisional matchups this year. So far, they have taken the first game of their series vs. the Cubs, and their overall series record is 7-12-1 this year.
At home, the Reds are 15-17 this year and 15-16 on the road. Cincinnati has won two straight series and has an overall record of 7-3 over their last 10 games. As the underdog, the Reds are 15-21 this year and 15-12 as the favorite.
The Reds have been a solid run line team this season, going 35-28 overall. They have been particularly good on the road, going 21-10 against the run line. Their average run margin is +0.2 runs per game, with a +0.8 run margin on the road. They have been a better run line bet as the underdog, going 21-15 vs. the run line.
When the Reds play at home, the over/under line is set at 9 runs. The combined run average in their games is 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 30-30. The average over/under line for their games this season is 9 runs. When the line is set at 9 runs, their over/under record is 1-8-2. This season, 21 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 9 runs, accounting for 33.3% of their games. Their over streak is at two games.
Nick Lodolo Gets The Start For The Reds
Cincinnati is sending Nick Lodolo to the mound today vs. the Cubs, and he will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. In that start vs. the Cubs, he went 6 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. Looking back over his last four starts, Lodolo has gone 6 innings in three of them. The only exception was his outing vs. the Giants, where he gave up 4 earned runs in 6 innings of work. Lodolo’s ERA for the season is 3.11, along with a record of 5-2. For the year, he has allowed 4 homers at home and 1 on the road.
Reds Offense Breakdown
Elly De La Cruz has been swinging the bat well of late, going 6/23 in his last five games with two homers and five RBIs. Overall, he is batting just .240 for the season. Jeimer Candelario is also coming off a strong stretch of games, going 8/22 with two homers and four RBIs. Candelario is also on a six-game hitting streak.
As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.4 runs per game and are 12th in the league in home runs. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. Cincinnati’s team batting average of .229 is just 20th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in strikeouts.
Cubs vs Reds Prediction
Our predicted final score for this Cubs vs. Reds matchup is 6-5 in favor of the Reds. Given that they are at home, we will be taking the Reds on the money line, where the payout is -112.
If you’re looking for a potential parlay, you could also take a look at the starting pitchers. We have Justin Steele finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for 10th among all starters today. As for Nick Lodolo, he is projected to finish with seven K’s, which is second best.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:June 7, 2024 Cubs, Reds