Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction MLB Picks 7/31/24

The Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds meet Wednesday in MLB action from Great American Ballpark. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction.

Starting Pitching Matchup

The Chicago Cubs will start Kyle Hendricks here and Hendricks is 2-9 with a 6.95 ERA and 56 strikeouts this season. In his last five starts against the Reds, Hendricks is 2-1 with a 4.44 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Nick Lodolo will start for the Reds here and is 8-3 with a 3.45 ERA and 94 strikeouts this season. In his career, Lodolo is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA and 21 strikeouts against the Cubs.

Chicago Cubs Recap

The Chicago Cubs come into this one looking to salvage something from this series after dropping the first two games of the set thanks to a 6-3 loss in Tuesday’s matchup. The loss gave the Cubs the series L, meaning that Chicago would be unable to follow up on their series win over the Royals from this past weekend.

Cubs Looking To Climb Back To .500

Entering Tuesday, Cody Bellinger has 84 hits including 15 doubles, 9 home runs and 37 RBIs. Nico Hoerner has 95 hits, 21 doubles and a .250 batting average. Michael Busch has 13 homers with 40 RBIs but has 117 strikeouts as well this season. Ian Happ also has a team-high 23 doubles with 16 home runs and 60 RBIs but also has 113 strikeouts this season. Seiya Suzuki’s also chipped in 15 homers and 49 RBIs this season.

Why the Chicago Cubs will win

• The underdogs have won seven of the Cubs’ last eight games.
• The Reds have lost each of their last four games as favorites.
• The Reds have failed to cover the run line in each of their last nine games as favorites against the Cubs following a home win.
• The Cubs have covered the run line in each of their last 10 Wednesday night games as road underdogs against National League opponents.

Cincinnati Reds Recap

The Cincinnati Reds will be hoping to keep their momentum up after emerging victorious in the first two games of the set thanks to Tuesday’s triumph. The win in the series helped Cincinnati bounce back from their series loss to Tampa Bay this past weekend.

Reds Trying To Pull Record Even As Well

Going into Tuesday’s matchup, Elly De La Cruz leads the Reds with 103 hits, 18 home runs and 45 RBIs with 55 stolen bases along with a .263 batting average as well. Spencer Steer has a team-high 64 RBIs with 25 doubles and 17 stolen bases while Will Benson also has 16 doubles with 13 stolen bases but also has 126 strikeouts while De La Cruz has a team-high 138 strikeouts so far this season. Jeimer Candelario also has 21 doubles as well as 17 home runs and 82 hits this season for Cincinnati.

Why the Cincinnati Reds will win

• The Cubs have lost each of their last eight night games against National League opponents following a loss.
• The Reds have won each of their last four games against National League opponents.
• The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games against National League opponents.
• The Reds have covered the run line in each of their last four games against National League opponents.

Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction

I’m on the over here. I think the Reds can get to Kyle Hendricks who has really struggled in a starter’s role this season, and Hendricks is still pitching at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark as well. On the other side, Nick Lodolo is an easier pitcher to trust away from GAB, as he has an ERA over four at home this season (which is still decent) and during their struggles, the Cubs were still usually hitting left-handed pitching really well. All in all I think we have a high scoring game ahead, so give me the over here.