Teams trending in opposite directions open a three-game series in Chicago on Friday when the Cincinnati Reds battle the Chicago Cubs. The Reds (60-96), who have lost three in a row, have dropped six of their last seven games. The Cubs (70-86), meanwhile, have won four consecutive games and eight of nine. Chicago has clinched third place in the National League Central, while Cincinnati is trying to hold off Pittsburgh for fourth place in the division. The teams will actually meet for the final six games of the season, including the final three at Cincinnati.
First pitch from Wrigley Field is set for 2:20 pm ET. The Cubs lead the all-time series 1,122-1,101, and are 7-6 against the Reds this season. Chicago is a -155 favorite on the money line (risk $155 to win $100) in the latest Reds vs. Cubs odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 7. Before making any Cubs vs. Reds picks, be sure to see the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, and it enters the penultimate week of the regular season on a 14-3 run on top-rated money-line picks, returning almost $900 for $100 players. This is the same model that pegged the 2021 Atlanta Braves at 10-1 as one of three best bets to win it all last season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Cubs vs. Reds and revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine to see all of the model’s MLB picks. Here are several MLB odds and trends for Reds vs. Cubs:
- Reds vs. Cubs money line: Cincinnati +130, Chicago -155
- Reds vs. Cubs over-under: 7 runs
- CIN: The under is 10-2 in the Reds’ last 12 games overall
- CHC: The Cubs are 8-1 in their last nine Friday games
- Reds vs. Cubs picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Cubs
Chicago has been red hot, winning 12 of its last 16 games. The Cubs will send left-hander Wade Miley (1-2, 3.34 ERA) to the mound. He has faced the Reds once this season, getting a no-decision in a 9-3 Cubs win on Sept. 6. In that game, he pitched four innings, allowing two hits, two earned runs and two walks, while striking out six. In 12 career games against Cincinnati, Miley is 5-3 with a 3.18 ERA, walking 21 while striking out 67.
Offensively, Chicago’s Nico Hoerner has swung a hot bat of late and is hitting .285 on the season. He has nine homers, 49 RBI and 52 runs scored. In three games against the Reds earlier this month, he was 5-for-11 (.455) with a double, two triples and a stolen base. In 11 games against Cincinnati this season, Hoerner has been on fire, hitting .450 with four doubles, two triples, one homer and five RBIs.
Why you should back the Reds
With not much to play for, Cincinnati would like to finish the season on a positive note and hold off the Pittsburgh Pirates to avoid a last-place finish. The Reds will send rookie right-hander Graham Ashcraft (5-4, 4.18 ERA) to the hill. He had pitched well for most of the season before landing on the injured list in mid-August. After going 6 2/3 innings against the Pirates on Aug. 19, allowing just three earned runs on nine hits, while striking out eight, he left the start and did not pitch for more than a month. In his return last week, he allowed four earned runs on eight hits in four innings in a 10-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Leading the Reds’ offense will be third baseman Kyle Farmer, who has hit the Cubs hard this season. In the series in Chicago earlier this month, he was 5-for-12 with a triple, two homers and four RBI. In 10 games against the Cubs that year, Farmer is batting .439 with a triple, four homers and 13 RBIs. He is batting .255 overall with 14 homers, 76 RBIs and 58 runs scored. He was 3-for-7 with a homer and two RBIs in his last two games against the Pirates.
How to make Reds vs. Cubs picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 9.9 combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the model’s MLB picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Cubs vs. Reds? And which side has all of the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.