The Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs will face off in a battle of two NL Central foes on Thursday afternoon. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Reds-Cubs prediction and pick, laid out below.

Cincinnati sits at a 54-80 record, good for fourth place in the NL Central, on the brink of elimination from the playoff race. The team is stuck in a rebuilding phase, and now their veteran slugger Joey Votto is out for the season. The team is left to play out the string more than anything.

Chicago has fallen from the grace of their 2016 World Series victory, going 57-79 this season, third place in the NL Central. Chicago, like Cincinnati, are on the brink of playoff elimination. There is not much confidence in the club from the fan base.

Here are the Reds-Cubs MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Reds-Cubs Odds

Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-172)

Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+142)

Over: 8 (-108)

Under: 8 (-112)

Why The Reds Could Cover The Spread

Luis Cessa, acquired from the Yankees last season, will make his fifth start of the season today. Cessa has mainly pitched out of the bullpen in his big league career but worked as a starter in the minor leagues. In his four starts, Cessa has pitched to a 6.00 ERA in 12 innings but fired five innings of two-run baseball last time out. Cessa's slider has baffled batters all season, holding them to a .176 batting average. Cincinnati's bullpen has statistically been the worst in baseball. Alexis Diaz has been the lone bright spot in that group, with a 1.72 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 56.2 innings.

Cincinnati's offense has been lacking all season. Now, with Joey Votto done for the season, no active Reds player has hit double-digit home runs. Kyle Farmer, Jake Fraley, and Jonathan India are the leaders with nine home runs. Farmer leads the club with 22 doubles. Injuries have decimated this lineup, and the record has suffered because of that.

Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

Chicago will start Adrian Sampson in this one. Sampson has appeared in 16 games, making 13 starts, with a 3.95 ERA on the season. The righty has walked 6.3% of the batters he has faced, striking out 54 batters in 70.2 innings. Chicago's bullpen has been pillaged by contenders at the trade deadline, as is the case with most bad teams. Chicago's bullpen ranks 24th in the league in ERA. The group has struck out 611 batters in 564.1 innings. Brandon Hughes, a rookie left-hander, is the only reliever with significant time and an ERA below 4.

Chicago's offense is actually pretty good considering their lousy record. Patrick Wisdom leads the team with 22 home runs, adding 25 doubles. Willson Contreras avoided the trade deadline sell-off, and has hit 21 home runs and 22 doubles. Ian Happ leads the team with 36 doubles and 64 RBI, adding 16 home runs and a .347 on-base percentage. Nico Hoerner leads the team with 17 stolen bases and a .283 batting average, adding 19 doubles and eight home runs. Seiya Suzuki has 11 home runs and 21 doubles in the first season he has spent stateside. Fellow rookie Christopher Morel has impressed in his 91 games, with 13 home runs, 16 doubles, and nine stolen bases, plus defensive versatility. Franmil Reyes has impressed in his 27 games with the club, hitting four home runs and six doubles with a .288 batting average.

Final Reds-Cubs Prediction & Pick

This one should be a clunker.

Final Reds-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Chicago -1.5 (+142), over 8 (-108)