Teams that have struggled of late meet on Friday when the Cincinnati Reds battle the Chicago Cubs in a key National League Central matchup. Cincinnati was beaten 5-3 by St. Louis on Wednesday, while Chicago fell to Milwaukee 6-4 on Thursday. The Reds (24-32), who have dropped two in a row and are 8-17 in May, are 10-15 on the road in 2024. The Cubs (28-29), third in the Central, are 2-8 in their last 10 games, losing three of four to the first-place Brewers this week.
First pitch from Wrigley Field in Chicago is set for 2:20 p.m. ET. The Cubs lead the all-time series 1,132-1,110, including a 613-518 edge in games played in Chicago. The Cubs are a -148 favorites on the money line (risk $148 to win $100) in the latest Reds vs. Cubs odds from SportsLine consensus, while the total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 8. 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. It entered Week 10 of the 2024 MLB season on a 125-100 run on top-rated MLB picks dating back to last season, and it has excelled on top-rated run-line picks during that span, going 20-8 (+708). Anybody following has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Cubs vs. Reds and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are severalMLB oddsand betting lines for Reds vs. Cubs:
- Cubs vs. Reds money line: Cincinnati +125, Chicago -148
- Cubs vs. Reds over/under: 8 runs
- Cubs vs. Reds run line: Chicago -1.5 (+141)
- CIN: The Reds have hit the game total Under in 24 of their last 39 games (+9.70 units)
- CHC: The Cubs have hit the first five innings team total Under in 21 of their last 30 games (+10.80 units)
- Cubs vs. Reds picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Cubs
Chicago is expected to send right-hander Javier Assad (4-1, 2.17 ERA) to the mound. Assad has not allowed more than four earned runs in any one start this season and has allowed one or fewer runs in seven appearances. In 11 games, all starts, he has pitched 58 innings and allowed 44 hits, 14 earned runs and 23 walks, while striking out 54. In a 7-1 win at Atlanta on May 15, he allowed four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in six innings of work.
Right fielder Mike Tauchman is among Chicago's top hitters this season. He had his four-game hit streak snapped in the loss at Milwaukee on Thursday. He was 2-for-5 with two runs scored in Wednesday's 10-6 loss to the Brewers. In 51 games this season, Tauchman is hitting .263 with nine doubles, one triple, four homers and 17 RBI. He has hit Reds pitching well throughout his career. In 19 games, he is batting .327 with five doubles, one homer and 10 RBI vs. Cincinnati.See which team to pick here.
Why you should back the Reds
Right-hander Graham Ashcraft (4-3, 4.67 ERA) will start for Cincinnati. In 10 starts this season, he has logged 54 innings of work, allowing 59 hits, 28 earned runs and 19 walks, while striking out 43. In his last outing, a 9-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, he earned the victory while working 5.1 innings, allowing eight hits, five earned runs and one walk, while striking out three. In his start prior, he took the loss in a 4-0 decision against the Dodgers on May 18, but allowed just three earned runs on three hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out five.
Among the Reds' top hitters is shortstop Elly De La Cruz. In 56 games this season, he is hitting .249 with 10 doubles, one triple, nine homers and 24 RBI with 37 runs scored. He is coming off a 2-for-5 performance in Wednesday's loss to St. Louis. He has been a terror on the base paths, registering 31 stolen bases, while being caught just five times.See which team to pick here.
How to make Reds vs. Cubs picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 10.2 combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the model's MLB picks and analysis at SportsLine.
So who wins Cubs vs. Reds, and which side has all the value?Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that's 125-100 on top-rated MLB picks, and find out.
