The Cincinnati Reds (76-84) travel to face off against the Chicago Cubs (82-78) on Saturday, September 28th. 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 Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Cubs (-129)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 7 Runs
- The Cubs have won 5 of their last 7 home games.
- The Cubs have scored an average of 5.2 runs per game in their last 15 games.
- The Cubs have a home record of 43-36, while the Reds have an away record of 37-42.
- The Cubs have won 3 of their last 4 games against the Reds.
- The Cubs have a better overall record in the last 10 games (5-5) compared to the Reds (3-7).
Reds vs Cubs
Chicago picked up a 1-0 win over the Reds in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs offense only mustered five hits but still picked up a win thanks to a strong outing from Jameson Taillon, who went seven innings and gave up just one hit and no earned runs.
Nick Martinez started for the Reds and took the loss, giving up one earned run across eight innings of work. He finished the game with three strikeouts but issued zero walks.
The only run of the game came in the 5th inning when Nico Hoerner scored on a Jonathan India error. Hoerner and India were the only two players in the game to have more than one hit.
Cincinnati’s struggles have been evident in their recent form, as they have lost four straight games and are 3-7 in their last ten. They are 23-27 against NL Central teams and trail the Brewers by 16 games in the division, holding a 76-84 overall record.
When playing on the road, the Reds have a 48-31 run line record, with an average run differential of +0.4 per game. Their games have had an average of 9 runs per game, and the over has hit in 95.6% of their contests this season, resulting in a 73-80 O/U record.
Rhett Lowder Gets The Start For The Reds
Rhett Lowder and the Reds are on the road to take on the Cubs today. Lowder has started 3 games this season and has a 2-1 record. In his last outing, he picked up a win vs. the Pirates, going 5 innings and striking out 4. He did take a loss in his first start of the year, but he did strike out 5 in that game.
Reds Offense Breakdown
Elly De La Cruz has been one of the Reds’ most consistent hitters this season, batting .261 with a team-leading 25 home runs and 74 RBIs. He has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 6/21 in his last five games with two runs and four RBIs. Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario are also tied for 2nd on the team with 20 homers, but they are hitting just .228 and .225, respectively.
As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. Their team batting average of .232 is 15th in the league, and they are 14th in home runs. Cincinnati comes into the game with a team on-base percentage of .305, which is 16th in the league.
Chicago’s overall series record is 22-25-3, and they are currently 5-5 in their last 10 games. They have won two straight games and are 44-38 when favored this season, but as underdogs, they are 38-40.
The Cubs are 10 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central and 10 games behind the Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot. Their run line record is 77-83, with a 47-34 record on the road and 30-49 at home. This season, their games have had an average of 8.7 runs, and their over/under record is 75-79.
Kyle Hendricks Gets The Start For The Cubs
Kyle Hendricks will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Nationals, where he took the loss. In that start, he gave up four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Looking back over his last four starts, Hendricks has finished with a no-decision, loss, win, and loss. The right-hander has a record of 4-12 this season and an ERA of 6.28. Opposing batters are hitting .289 off Hendricks this season. Per nine innings, he has 6.2 strikeouts and 2.99 walks.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ have been the Cubs’ top power threats this season, with Happ leading the team with 25 homers and Happ right behind him at 21. Happ is also the team’s leader in RBIs, with 86. Suzuki has driven in 73 runs this season. Nico Hoerner has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 12/28 in his last eight games, with two homers and seven runs scored.
For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 5.1 runs per game. Overall, the Cubs are batting .243, which is 9th in the MLB.
Reds vs Cubs Prediction
Given the payout of -129, we like the Cubs on the money line to pick up a win at home. Our predicted final score is 6-5 in favor of the Cubs, giving us some wiggle room with the over/under line sitting at 7 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Kyle Hendricks finishing with four strikeouts compared to Rhett Lowder with six. However, we have Hendricks finishing with a better ERA than Lowder, and we have the Cubs finishing with more hits than the Reds in our projections.
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:September 28, 2024 Cubs, Reds