Reds vs. Cubs Prediction
Will the Cubs win their third straight game when they host the Reds at 2:20PM ET today?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Cubs are -205 money line favorites versus the visiting Reds, who have odds of +175 to pull off the big upset this afternoon. With rookie Amir Garrett set to face Jon Lester in the pitching matchup, the over/under currently sits at 11 runs.
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From Rotoworld: Garrett is scheduled to start Thursday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Garrett will return to the Reds’ rotation after striking out all six of the batters he faced in a two-inning appearance Friday with Triple-A Louisville. It was a short workload-based demotion for the young left-hander. Garrett probably shouldn’t be activated in mixed fantasy leagues for a road start against the defending World Series champions, but he’s capable of providing valuable production moving forward.
Lester was charged with four runs — three earned — and a loss after pitching 5 2/3 innings against the Cardinals on Saturday. He struck out nine batters but walked four and threw 112 pitches in the relatively short outing. He gave up a solo home run to Jedd Gyorko in the fourth inning. Lester helped himself at the plate by stroking an RBI double in the second inning to open the scoring but it wasn’t enough to stave off the loss. He falls to 1-2 with a 3.45 ERA in eight starts. He has 49 strikeouts in 47 innings.
Bet Today’s Reds vs. Cubs Game
OUR PREDICTION: The Reds have lost five straight road games and five straight overall. They’re also just 4-11 in their last 15 games after losing the first two games of a series, so they’re primed for a sweep this afternoon. The Cubs, meanwhile, are 20-6 in Lester’s last 26 home starts, are 9-1 in his last 10 outings versus the Reds, and 4-0 in his last four home starts against Cincinnati. The Reds are also just 14-37 in their last 51 games versus the Cubs overall and are 7-19 in their last 26 road games versus Chicago.
THURSDAY MLB PREDICTION: CHICAGO CUBS -1.5 (-105)