Subscribe
Follow Us
Justin Steele leads the Chicago Cubs into a second game with their NL Central rival Cincinnati Reds. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cubs-Reds prediction and pick.
Cubs-Reds Projected Starters
Justin Steele vs. Nick Lodolo
Name (0-2) with a 4.10 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
Last Start: Last time out, Justin Steele faced the Reds at home. In the game, he went five innings, giving up seven hits and four walks. Five runs were scored against him,
2024 Road Splits: Steele has made just three road starts this year. He has not factored into a decision but has a 4.02 ERA, and opponents are hitting just .214 against him on the road.
Name (5-2) with a 3.11 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.
Last Start: Last time out, Lodolo went six innings and gave up seven hits to the Cubs. He gave up just two runs and took the win over the Cubs
2024 Home Splits: Lodolo has made four starts at home this year. He has gone 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA, as opponents have hit .262 against him at home.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cubs-Reds Odds
Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+142)
Moneyline: -108
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-172)
Moneyline: -108
Over: 9 (-102)
Under: 9 (-120)
How to Watch Cubs vs. Reds
Time: 7:10 PM ET/ 4:10 PM PT
Article Continues Below
TV: MARQ/BSOH
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cubs are 15th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 25th in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, and 23rd in slugging. Christopher Morel has led them for the year. He is hitting just .203 but has a .313 on-base percentage. He has hit a team-high 11 home runs and leads the team with 37 RBIs. Morel has also scored 29 times. Leading the team in scoring runs is Mike Tachuman. Tauchman is hitting .269 this year, which leads the team. he has ten doubles and five home runs, leading to his 18 RBIs. he has also scored 31 times. Joining him with 31 runs scored is Ian Happ. Happ is hitting .232 with six home runs and 13 doubles. He has 27 RBIs to go with the 31 runs scored.
In the last week, it has been Seiya Suzuki who has led the way. He has hit .273 in the last week with a .333 base percentage. He has two home runs and seven RBIs in that time. Ian Happ is also driving in runs as of late. He is hitting .286 in the last six games with a home run and six RBIs. Scoring runs has been the job of Christopher Moreal. He has scored six times in the last week while hitting .316 and two home runs, plus he has three RBIs.
Current members of the Cubs have 46 career at-bats against Lodolo. They have hit .261 with a .370 on-base percentage. Nico Hoerner has been solid, with three hits in eight at-bats, and a walk. He also has an RBI. Meanwhile, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki have the only extra-base hits, both having a double on two overall hits. They both have an RBI against Lodolo.
Why The Reds Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Reds are tied with the Cubs for 15th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 26th in batting average, 18th in on-base percentage, and 21st in slugging. Spencer Steer has led the team in RBIs this year. He is hitting .247 on the year with a .351 on-base percentage. He has 14 doubles, and seven home runs, leading to his 40 RBIs. Steer has also stolen 11 bases and scored 29 times. Stealing bases is something Elly De La Cruz does well. De La Cruz is hitting .241 this year and getting on base at a .335 rate. This has given him plenty of chances to steal bases, and he has stolen 32 of them. De La Cruz also has ten home runs and 26 RBIs this year.
TJ Friedl has been great in the last week. He is hitting .286 in the last week, but getting on base at the .444 on-base percentage. He has two home runs and seven RBIs, plus has scored six times. Jonathan India is also on a hot steak. In the last six games, he is hitting .421 with a .500 on-base percentage. India has a home run and six RBIs, with six runs scored. Further. Jeimer Candelario is hitting .310 in the last week while hitting two home runs and driving in five runs.
The current members of the Reds have 62 career at-bats against Justin Steele. They have hit well against him. The Reds are hitting .339 against Steeler, with a .388 base percentage. Further, they have driven in 12 runs. Tyler Stephenson has been the best. He is eight for 13 with a walk, a home run, and six RBIs against Steele.
Final Cubs-Reds Prediction & Pick
The two offensive units are almost identical. The Reds have a little more power, but the Cubs get on base more. The Reds have a little more speed as well. The Reds also have the better pitcher going in this one and have also had great success against Justin Steele. Steele will give up plenty of runs in this one, while Nick Lodolo shuts down the Cubs in a Reds win.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Cubs-Reds Prediction & Pick: Reds ML (-108)
