Two NL Central division foes will face each other in a three-game series when the Chicago Cubs travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to face the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Game 1 is scheduled for 7:10 PM ET on Monday evening and will air on MARQ and Bally Sports Ohio.
The Chicago Cubs enter the series against the Cincinnati Reds on a two-game winning streak following a 9-4 win in Game 2 and a 7-3 win in Game 3 of their series against the Kansas City Royals. However, the Cubs are still one game below .500 after the All-Star Break and are five games below .500 on the season at 51-56, which puts them in 4th place in the NL Central and 10 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for 1st place in the division.
Javier Assad recorded his first quality start since May in Game 3 of the series against the Royals after pitching six innings, allowing three runs, and recording five strikeouts while also winning his 5th game this season to improve his record as a starter to 5-3 on the year.
The Cubs would take the lead in Game 3 in the top of the 6th inning after scoring two runs, including what would ultimately be the game-winning run when David Bote scored off a base hit off the bat of Pete Crow-Armstrong.
The Cubs have struggled against the Reds this season, as they have lost five of the seven games this season and have lost by an average margin of .57 runs per game in those matchups. The Chicago Cubs will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they travel to face the Cincinnati Reds for Game 1.
The Cincinnati Reds have a record of 3-5 after the All-Star break and are on a two-game losing streak following a 0-4 shutout loss in Game 2 and a 1-2 loss in Game 3 of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays on the road which has dropped their record to 50-55 this season, putting them in a tie with the Chicago Cubs for 4th place in the NL Central, and ten games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for 1st place in the division. The Reds led the majority of Game 3 against the Rays after scoring the first run in the 2nd inning when Stuart Fairchild scored off a base hit from Austin Wynns and would have the lead until the bottom of the 8th inning when they allowed two runs, which resulted in Fernando Cruz's 3rd blown save this season. Hunter Greene had a solid performance on the mound after pitching seven innings of shutout baseball and recording five strikeouts to record his 4th quality start in a row and his 2nd straight start without allowing a run. The Reds have dominated the series against the Cubs this season, winning five of the seven meetings and seven of the previous ten games in the series. However, both teams have averaged 4.4 runs per game in those contests. The Cincinnati Reds will look to end their two-game losing streak when they host the Chicago Cubs for Game 1 of the series on Monday evening.
BetNow has the Cincinnati Reds listed as -115 moneyline favorites at home against the Chicago Cubs for Game 1 of the series on Monday evening. Cincinnati has won seven of the last ten. However, both teams have averaged 4.4 runs per game in those contests, while the Reds have won two of the previous three games, with both teams averaging 3 runs per game in those matchups.
Cincinnati has won five of the seven meetings this season, including four of the last five against Chicago, and has won by an average margin of .57 runs per game in those contests. However, the Cubs are on a two-game winning streak while the Reds have lost the previous two games, so I am taking the moneyline for the Chicago Cubs when they travel to face the Cincinnati Reds for Game 1 of the series.
