Travis Wood (0-1, 5.79 ERA) and the Chicago Cubs (4-3) go up against Jason Marquis (0-0, 4.50 ERA) and the Cincinnati Reds (5-3) in the last of a three-game division series at Wrigley Field. The Reds won the last game 3-2 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game starts at 8:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and will air on FSN-OH and WPWR.
Wood is 2-5 with a 2.98 ERA and 1.06 WHIP against the Reds in his career. Jorge Soler (.308 ) went 1 for 3 yesterday. In his pitching opportunities against the Cubs, Marquis is 4-7 with a 4.13 ERA, 48 strikeouts and 33 walks. Joey Votto (.375 ) has been doing well to start the season for the Reds, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one RBI.
Chicago is a -124 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. When playing as the favorite, the Cubs have a 2-1 record and overall money line at +190. They have been very patient at the plate, ranking third in the NL with an average of 3.5 walks per game.
Switching gears, the Reds come into this game with a win percentage of .500 when playing as the underdog (2-2) and an overall money line of +109. Against divisional rivals, they are 4-3 SU and 2-2 as the underdog. The top road hitting team in the NL are the Reds, who average 13.0 hits in games away from home. Cincinnati is a terror on the base paths, with an MLB-best 12 stolen bases.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, O/U – Under
Notes
The Reds won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Cubs are 2-1. The Reds are 4-1 in close games this season.
The Cubs are 2-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Reds are 1-2 in such matchups.
The Reds managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cubs who are heading in with a 2-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
Both falling in the top 10 of the league based on total home runs this season, Chicago ranks 10th with eight homers and Cincinnati is seventh with nine.
Ranking 13th, Chicago is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 6.83 per game. Cincinnati ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 8.00.
Ranking 17th, Cincinnati is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.656). Chicago ranks in the top half at 13th with an OPS of .673.
When the Reds allow at least one home run, they are 4-3. When the Cubs allow one or more homers, they have a 1-1 record.
