Cubs to clobber Reds one more time?
Try as it might, Cincinnati simply can’t stop division rival Chicago’s whirlwind success.
Non-NL Central contenders such as the Angels and Diamondbacks have suffered similar frustrations, though, as the Cubs continue their early-season assault on the competition. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI see no reason to deviate from the hot hand tonight, listing Joe Maddon’s team as a 1.5-run favorite at Wrigley Field.
Chicago (7-1) pounded the Reds yesterday, 9-2, getting a big home run from third baseman Kris Bryant and generally abusing Alfredo Simon. Manager Bryan Price had to pull his starter in the first inning, but the Cubs went on to see 188 pitches from Cincy’s staff. Such a lofty number puts a lot of pressure on 26-year-old Raisel Iglesias (1-0, 2.31 ERA) to deliver a gem this evening.
On the other side, Jason Hammel enjoyed a solid 2015 debut vs. Arizona. He’ll try to build on last week’s one-run outing against a club that has rarely punished him. The veteran righty went 1-0 with a 3.15 ERA in four meetings with the Reds a summer ago, twirling five scoreless frames on Oct. 1.
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The visitors could use yet another prolific effort from infielder Eugenio Suarez, whose .400 average easily ranks among the National League leaders. If first baseman Joey Votto remains unable to improve his .174 lifetime mark off Hammel, however, Cincinnati (5-3) probably doesn’t possess the firepower to salvage the series.
THURSDAY MLB FREE PICK: REDS/CUBS UNDER 7.5 RUNS
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