The Cincinnati Reds (53-80) and Chicago Cubs (57-78) will go head-to-head in a Wednesday evening National League Central affair.
The Cubs took Game 1 of this series by a final score of 9-3. Chicago came out swinging the bats to earn the win. They are now 2-3 over the course of their past five games.
For Cincinnati, they endured a difficult game without question to open the series. The Reds are now 2-2 in their last four contests overall. They will aim to rebound on the road in this game.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 PM EST on Wednesday, September 7th at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. Let’s take a look at the Reds vs Cubs predictions.
Cincinnati Reds vs.Chicago Cubs Odds Breakdown
The Chicago Cubs standings placement is surprising given their struggles. They sit in third place in the NL Central. But that is more of a product of the weak division. The Reds, meanwhile, sit in fourth place leading only the porous Pirates.
But the Cubs are the favorites according to most sportsbooks. They have a home-field advantage and have been the better team overall. But can Chicago cover the run line? Here is a look at the Cubs and Reds stats and pitching matchup.
Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
Mike Minor as Starter
LHP Mike Minor (3-10, 5.98) is the scheduled starter for Cincinnati in this one. Minor has endured a brutal 2022 campaign. He’s a respected big league veteran who’s carved out a nice career.
But 2022 has not been his season. Nevertheless, he may be able to turn in a decent performance against the Cubs. All-Star catcher Willson Contreras was recently placed on the IL which removed a crucial bat for Chicago’s lineup.
The Cubs still have a few other quality bats in the lineup, but Minor could realistically spin five innings of decent baseball. But with an ERA approaching six, the Cubs may light him up as well.
Javier Assad as Starter
Javier Assad (0-0, 0.90) is Chicago’s probable starter on Wednesday. Assad has pitched in three total big league games and made two starts during that span. He’s pitched 10 total innings and surrendered just one run while striking out six.
So far, so good for the 25-year-old right-hander. He was originally signed out of Mexico as an international free agent.
The signing came back in 2015 and he’s been in the organization ever since. There is no question that he offers intriguing potential.
Assad Moving Forward
Chicago wants to see what they have in Assad moving forward. He could develop into a future piece of the rotation. For now, he will do his best to take care of business against the Reds.
Assad is the X-Factor in making the Reds vs Cubs predictions for this game.
Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs Pick and Prediction
What are our Reds vs Cubs predictions? Are the Cubs going to cover the run line at home, or will Cincinnati upset the odds?
Chicago is 69-66 against the run line overall so far in 2022. Cincinnati is 62-71 against the run line this year.
Cubs Offense
The Chicago Cubs have been better from both an outright and run-line perspective. They are clearly the betting favorites. From a statistical standpoint, the Cubs and Reds are eerily similar.
Chicago’s offense ranks 19th in batting average, 18th in OBP, 17th in slugging, 23rd in runs scored, and 17th in home runs.
Reds Offense
The Reds offense is 16th in batting average, 20th in OBP, 22nd in slugging, 20th in runs scored, and 18th in home runs.
Pitching-wise, the Cubs are 24th in ERA, 24th in WHIP, 22nd in batting average against, and 29th in home runs surrendered; the Reds are 28th in ERA, 26th in WHIP, 28th in home runs allowed, and 5th in batting average against.
Who to Bet On?
To summarize, both the Reds and Cubs are mediocre offensively and extremely underwhelming from a pitching perspective. 5
In the end, I would give a slight edge to Chicago given the upside of Javier Assad. Minor Minor hasn’t given us any reason to trust him. Go ahead and roll with the Cubs -1.5 in this game.
MLB Pick: Cubs -1.5 (+145)
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