The Cincinnati Reds (25-33) travel to face off against the Chicago Cubs (29-30) on Sunday, June 2nd. This game will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago and televised on MARQ. The Cubs are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Reds are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Cubs. First pitch is set for 1:20 CT.
Reds vs Cubs
Chicago picked up a 7-5 win over the Reds in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a huge 2nd inning, scoring four of their seven runs. As for the Reds, they scored their final run in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Cubs were favored at -141 on the money line.
Hunter Greene got the start for the Reds, going six innings while giving up five runs and striking out five. Lucas Sims took the loss. Justin Steele only went five innings for the Cubs but gave up just one run on seven hits.
Spencer Steer had a three-hit game for the Reds, while Jonathan India and Jeimer Candelario each had two hits and an RBI. Seiya Suzuki did a bit of everything for the Cubs, going 2/4 with a home run and four RBIs.
Cincinnati is 5th in the NL Central with a record of 25-33, putting them 10 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. So far, they are 3-5 in divisional matchups. The Reds are on the road today, and they are 11-16 on the road compared to 14-17 at home.
As the road favorite, the Reds have gone 3-1 this year, and they are 11-12 as the favorite overall. Cincinnati has struggled as the underdog this year, going 14-21. The Reds have an overall series record of 5-12-1 this year.
The Reds have been a good bet on the run line this season, going 30-28 overall. They have been even better on the run line on the road, going 17-10. Their average run margin for the season is -0.2, but they have been outscored by an average of 0.5 runs per game at home.
The Cincinnati Reds are on the road today against the Chicago Cubs. The over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than their average over/under line for the season. Their games have averaged a combined 8.3 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 27-29. They have gone over the 7.5 run line in 4 of 9 games this season when the line has been set at that number.
Nick Lodolo Gets The Start For The Reds
Cincinnati is sending left-hander Nick Lodolo to the mound today vs. the Cubs. He has made 7 starts this year and has a record of 4-2. Lodolo’s ERA for the season is 3.12, along with a WHIP of .94. In his 7 starts, he has turned in two quality starts and is averaging 10.26 strikeouts per nine innings. The last time he pitched, Lodolo picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run. Before that, he had lost two straight starts. Lodolo’s ERA at home is 3.93, compared to 2.43 on the road.
Reds Offense Breakdown
Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer have been two of the Reds’ top power threats this season, with De La Cruz leading the team with nine homers and Steer coming in with six. However, De La Cruz is batting just .238, and Steer isn’t much better at .228. Cincinnati is hoping that Will Benson can get things going, as he is batting just .199 but is 2nd on the team with eight homers.
Looking at the team’s offensive numbers, they are 21st in runs scored and have the league’s worst slugging percentage. The Reds are also near the bottom of the league in team batting average and on-base percentage. As a team, they are batting just .218.
With a record of 29-30, the Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 6.5 games. The Cubs have gone just 7-11 in divisional games this year. Chicago will be at home today, and they are 16-12 at home compared to 13-18 on the road.
Chicago has dropped five straight series and are just 7-9-2 in series overall. As the favorite, the Cubs are 13-12 this year and 16-18 as the underdog. The Cubs have really struggled recently, going just 2-8 over their last ten games.
When the Cubs win, they tend to do so by a comfortable margin, as their average run differential in victories is +3.1. However, they have been outscored by an average of 0.2 runs per game overall, and their run line record is just 30-29. They have been a better bet on the run line on the road (18-13) than at home (12-16), and they have been a profitable run line bet as an underdog (23-11) but not as a favorite (7-18).
Chicago Cubs games have been trending toward the over this season, with a combined run average of 8.8 runs per game. Their over/under record is 27-30, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, they are 8-7. The Cubs have gone over the total in five straight games and have played 61.0% of their games this season with higher lines than today’s 7.5-run total.
Ben Brown Gets The Start For The Cubs
Chicago is giving the ball to right-hander Ben Brown today against the Reds. He has made six starts this season and has a record of 1-1 with an ERA of 2.72. Brown has made 13 appearances overall and has a WHIP of 1.06. In his 46 1/3 innings of work, he has issued 17 walks and has a BB/9 figure of 3.3 compared to 10.68 strikeouts per nine innings. Brown’s last outing came on May 28th, where he went seven innings, giving up no earned runs, and finished with 10 strikeouts. He didn’t allow a homer in that outing. Before that, he had given up a homer in three straight appearances.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
Chicago’s offense has been pretty average this season, as they are 15th in the league at 4.3 runs per game. They have been even worse in terms of batting average, as they are just 22nd in the league in that category. The Cubs do have a good team on-base percentage and are 5th in the league in walks. Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch are both tied for 2nd on the team with eight homers, and Christopher Morel is the team’s top power threat, as he is 11th in the league with 10 homers.
Over his last six games, Cody Bellinger has gone 8/27 with four runs scored and one home run. Seiya Suzuki has also gone deep twice in his last six games while batting .348. Nico Hoerner is riding a three-game hitting streak into today’s game.
Reds vs Cubs Prediction
Our prediction for this Reds vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line at -120. We have the Cubs winning this one by a score of 5-4. With the over/under line sitting at 7.5 runs, we see this as a close one, but we are predicting that there will be enough runs to take the over.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Ben Brown finishing with five strikeouts compared to Nick Lodolo with seven. Brown is projected to go 5.1 innings, while we have Lodolo going 5.2 innings.
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 2, 2024 Cubs, Reds