At 7:10 PM ET, the Reds and Cubs will face off in an NL Central matchup. This one is being played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, and the Reds are favored on the money line (-151). The money line odds have the Cubs at +128, and their record is 51-58, while the Reds are 52-55.
Wednesday’s forecast in Cincinnati calls for temperatures in the low 90s and partly cloudy skies. Kyle Hendricks will start for the Cubs, while the Reds are sending Nick Lodolo to the mound. This game can be seen on BSOH, and the over/under line is 9.5 runs.
Cubs Struggle on the Road as Hendricks Takes the Mound Against Reds
Chicago is 51-58 overall, putting them 5th in the NL Central, two games behind the Reds for 4th place in the division. The Cubs are 11 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. So far, they have gone just 13-25 in divisional games. The Cubs have dropped two straight games, and this season, they are just 24-33 on the road compared to 27-25 at home. As the road underdog, the Cubs are 18-25 this year and are 28-31 as the underdog overall. Chicago’s overall series record is 12-18-3, and they have dropped two straight series at home.
Kyle Hendricks gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Reds on the road. He has made 14 starts this season and has a record of 2-9 with a 6.95 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Hendricks has a WHIP of 1.49 and has given up a total of 16 home runs. Per nine innings, he is averaging 6.27 strikeouts and just 2.69 walks. Hendricks has only made two quality starts this year. In his most recent outing, he gave up six earned runs in five innings of work. Hendricks has taken the loss in each of his last three outings. Chicago Cubs games have been averaging 8.3 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 45-60. When the over/under line is set at 9.5 runs, their record is 5-4. The Cubs have played in just 6.4% of their games this season with an over/under line set at 9.5 runs. Their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs, and their under streak is at 2 games.
Reds Aim to Close Gap in NL Central with Strong Performances from De La Cruz and Lodolo
The Reds are 52-55 overall and nine games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Cincinnati is 27-28 at home and 25-27 on the road. As the favorite, they are 26-23 this season and 26-32 as the underdog. Their overall series record is 11-19-3. The Reds are 57-50 vs. the run line and 25-30 at home. Their average run differential is +0.4 runs per game, and they have covered the run line in two straight games. Cincinnati is 36-22 vs. the run line as the underdog.
The Reds offense ranks 20th in batting average and 15th in runs per game. Elly De La Cruz leads the team with 18 home runs and 45 RBI and is hitting .262. Spencer Steer has 15 home runs and 65 RBI, and Jeimer Candelario has 17 home runs and 50 RBI. De La Cruz is hitting .360 over his last six games. Cincinnati is sending Nick Lodolo to the mound, who is 8-3 with a 3.45 ERA and has a WHIP of 1.11. Lodolo has seven quality starts this season and is averaging 9.26 strikeouts per nine innings. He most recently pitched 6 2/3 innings vs. the Rays and did not factor in the decision.
Reds Favored Over Cubs: Predicting a 6-5 Victory with Lodolo Leading the Charge
Our prediction for today’s Cubs vs. Reds game is to take the Reds on the money line at -151. We have the Reds winning this one by a score of 6-5, giving us a bit of wiggle room with the over/under line sitting at 9.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Kyle Hendricks finishing with just five strikeouts and Nick Lodolo with seven. However, we have Lodolo finishing with a better chance to pick up a win than Hendricks.
