The Chicago Cubs are traveling east to face their division rival Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The action will begin at 4:10 p.m. ET and NBC Sports Chicago will televise the game.
Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Odds
Cincinnati (-120) is favored over Chicago (+100) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this afternoon’s game at 9.5 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total sit at -120 for the under and +100 for the over. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the runline odds coming in at Cubs -1.5 runs (-145) and Reds +1.5 runs (+135).
The Reds are 0-3 SU and 0-2 ATS. They’ve lost 2.0 units for moneyline bettors and 2.3 units against the spread (ATS). The Cubs have gone 2-2 SU this year and are 2-1 ATS. In total, the team’s accumulated 0.0 units for moneyline bettors in the season’s early going and 0.6 units ATS.
Cincinnati games have an over/under record of one-1 in 2018. Chicago has an over/under record of two-1.
The Reds are coming off of a 6-5 loss against the Nationals, while the Cubs just lost a 6-0 game to the Marlins.
Tyler Chatwood will get the start for the visiting Cubs. The right-handed Chatwood started 25 games last year and finished the season 8-15 overall with a 4.69 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP.
The Reds will put the ball in the hands of righty Tyler Mahle, who started 4 games last year while finishing the season 1-2 overall with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.
Cincinnati’s pitchers have allowed 7.0 runs per game overall this year as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 5.29, a WHIP of 1.29 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 5.8. The bullpen has a 9.90 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 8.1 K/9. In zero divisional games, Reds starters have an ERA of and the bullpen’s ERA is .
The Cincinnati hitters are putting up 4.0 runs per outing, including per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over their last five. The team’s slashed .248/.307/.410 over its last five games and is 0-3 SU during that span.
The Reds’ offense has been led by second baseman Scooter Gennett and right fielder Scott Schebler. Gennett is slashing .538/.538/.692 with seven hits and one RBI, while Schebler’s line is .333/.385/.667 with four hits, one RBI and three runs.
Schebler did not seem to enjoy batting at home in 2017, slashing .198/.298/.387 across 258 plate appearances (compared to his total season line of .233/.307/.484).
In the visiting dugout, Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 4.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 6.86 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 5.95 K/9. The bullpen has logged an excellent ERA of just 0.75, along with a WHIP of 1.73.
The Cubs offense has slashed .225/.321/.385 on its way to 4.8 runs scored per game in 2018, including runs per game against divisional foes and 4.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-2 SU).
Chicago’s offense has been led by third baseman Bryant Bryant and left fielder Kyle Schwarber. Bryant is slashing .389/.522/.722 with seven hits, four RBIs and four runs scored, while Schwarber has a .333 average with five hits, two homers, three RBIs and three runs scored.
Schwarber didn’t perform especially well against righties on the road last year, maintaining a slash line of .160/.269/.370 across 186 such plate appearances (his total season line was .210/.314/.466).
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cubs, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
The Reds went 7-12 SU against the Cubs last season.
The Cubs’ bullpen managed an ERA of 5.11 against the Reds last year.
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