The Cincinnati Reds (24-32) travel to face off against the Chicago Cubs (28-29) on Friday, May 31st. This game will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago and televised on MARQ. Both the Reds and Cubs are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 1:20 CT.
Reds vs Cubs
Cincinnati is coming off a game in which they wasted several good performances. In their 5-3 loss to St. Louis, Frankie Montas was excellent on the mound, allowing just three runs on six hits and striking out five. They also got a big offensive performance from Nick Martini, going 2/4 with a run scored.
The Reds took the lead into the 8th inning but couldn Cardinals scored one run in the top of the 8th to tie things up, and Cincinnati added another run in the top of the 9th to pick up the win. The Reds were the -124 favorite at home going into the game.
Cincinnati is 24-32 overall and trails the Brewers by nine games in the NL Central. The Reds have dropped two straight games and are 5-5 across their last 10. In the NL Central, they are 2-4 this season.
So far, the Reds have gone 14-17 at home compared to 10-15 on the road. As the underdog, the Reds have won three straight games and are 13-20 as the underdog overall. As for their series record, the Reds are 5-12-1 this year, including losing their most recent series vs. the Cardinals.
The Reds have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 29-27 overall. They have been especially profitable on the road, where they are 16-9 ATS. Cincinnati has been a good bet as an underdog, going 19-14 ATS, and they have covered the run line in three straight games as the underdog. The Reds have a negative run differential on the season, but they have been able to cover the run line in more than half of their games.
Today’s over/under line of 8 runs is slightly below the Cincinnati Reds’ season average of 8.3 runs per game. The Reds have played 37 games this season with higher over/under lines than 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 3-4. Cincinnati has hit the under in their last five games.
Graham Ashcraft Gets The Start For The Reds
Cincinnati is sending right-hander Graham Ashcraft to the mound today as he faces the Cubs on the road. Ashcraft has made 10 starts this year and has a record of 4-3 with a 4.67 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Ashcraft has a WHIP of 1.44 and opponents are batting .265 this year. In his 10 starts, he has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 7.17 strikeouts per nine innings. Ashcraft’s most recent outing came against the Dodgers, where he picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up five earned runs.
Reds Offense Breakdown
Elly De La Cruz has been a bright spot for the Reds this season, as he is batting .249, and his nine home runs are 1st on the team and 9th in the league. De La Cruz also leads the team with 24 RBIs. Spencer Steer and Will Benson are also near the top of the Reds’ home run leaderboard, but both players are batting under .225 for the season.
The Reds offense will need to pick things up, as they are just 21st in the league in runs scored and are batting a collective .216. They also have the league’s 23rd ranked strikeout rate and have been below average in terms of getting on base and slugging percentage. The Reds do come into today’s game with a couple of hitters on solid streaks, as Jake Fraley has hits in five straight games, and Jeimer Candelario has hits in three straight.
Chicago closed out their series vs. the Brewers with a 6-4 loss on the road. Heading into the game, the Cubs were the slight favorite at +105 on the money line. Things started off well for the Cubs, as they got on the board with a run in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Brewers scored three times in the 2nd.
Jameson Taillon put together a good start for the Cubs, going six innings and giving up just three earned runs, and striking out four. However, he took the loss, as the Cubs couldn’t come back after the Brewers scored an additional three runs in the 8th. Cody Bellinger and Christopher Morel each had two hits for the Cubs and drove in a run. The Cubs also wasted a big game from Seiya Suzuki, who homered in the 1st but went just 1/2.
Chicago is 28-29 overall this season, and they are 3rd in the NL Central, 5.5 games behind the Brewers. The Cubs head into today’s game having dropped two straight games, and they went 1-3 in their series vs. the Brewers. So far, they are just 6-10 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Cubs are 15-11 compared to 13-18 on the road. As the favorite, the Cubs have gone 12-11 this year and 16-18 as the underdog. Chicago’s overall series record is 7-9-2, and they have lost five straight series.
As a home favorite, the Cubs have been a poor run-line bet this season, going 6-17. However, they have been a solid run-line play as the underdog, going 23-11. Their overall run-line record is 29-28, and they have a run-line record of 11-15 at home. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.1, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.4.
The Chicago Cubs are at home today against the Cincinnati Reds. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Cubs and their opponents have combined to average 8.7 runs per game this season. Chicago’s over/under record for the year is 25-30. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Cubs have gone 2-8. The over has hit in three straight Cubs games.
Javier Assad Gets The Start For The Cubs
Right-hander Javier Assad gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Reds at home. He has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 4-1 with an ERA of 2.17. So far, Assad has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 8.38 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Assad took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One of those wins was a shutout performance against the Braves. Assad has been much better at home, with an ERA of 1.47 compared to 2.98 on the road.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
Christopher Morel has struggled with a batting average of just .198 this season, but he does lead the team with 10 home runs and is also the team’s top run producer, with 35 RBIs. Nico Hoerner has been a solid contact hitter for the Cubs, batting .257, and Cody Bellinger has been swinging a good bat of late, going 12/43 in his last 10 games. Bellinger is also on a six-game hitting streak and is 2nd on the team with 26 RBIs and 8 homers.
For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. They have been a better home team, averaging 4.2 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .228 and have the 20th slugging percentage in the league. Overall, they are 14th in home runs and have the 4th fewest strikeouts in the league.
Reds vs Cubs Prediction
Our pick for today’s Reds vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line at -148. We see this game ending with a score of 6-5 in favor of the Cubs, giving us a little bit of wiggle room on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Javier Assad finishing with more strikeouts than Graham Ashcraft. However, Assad is not projected to go deep into the game, and we have him finishing with just five K’s.
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:May 31, 2024 Cubs, Reds