Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds Betting Pick & Prediction 6/7/24

Both the Cubs and Reds are looking to pick up a win in this NL Central matchup, as the Cubs are 2nd in the division and the Reds are 4th. However, the Reds are currently on a five-game winning streak, and the money line odds have them at -112 compared to the Cubs at -106. This game’s over/under line is at 9 runs.

First pitch from Great American Ball Park is set for 7:10 PM ET, and MARQ will be televising this one. Justin Steele is starting for the Cubs, while the Reds are sending Nick Lodolo to the mound.

CINCINNATI REDS VS CHICAGO CUBS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cincinnati Reds Moneyline -112

This game will be played at Great American Ball Park at 7:10 ET on Friday, June 7th.

HOW TO BET THE CUBS VS REDS:

• We have the Reds winning by a score of 6 to 5
• If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Reds to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

Cincinnati picked up an 8-4 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Reds had a huge 3rd inning, scoring seven of their eight runs. As for the Cubs, they scored their only two runs in the 6th. Heading into the game, the Reds were favored at -127 on the money line.

Hunter Greene started for the Reds and picked up the win, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs. He finished the game with eight strikeouts but issued two walks. Javier Assad got the start for the Cubs and took the loss, giving up five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.

At the plate, the Reds were led by Will Benson, who went 2/4 with a home run and two RBIs. Tyler Stephenson also had a two-hit game and scored twice for Cincinnati’s offense.

Cubs Records & Stats

With a record of 31-32, the Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central, 5.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. In the NL Central, they are 5.5 games behind the Brewers and have gone just 7-13 against other teams in the division. The Cubs are on the road today, where they are 13-19 this season.

Chicago has dropped three straight games on the road, and they are 4-4 as the road favorite this year. As the favorite overall, the Cubs are 15-13 and 16-19 as the underdog. Looking at their overall series record, the Cubs are 8-10-2 and lost the series opener vs. the Reds.

Chicago is 30-33 against the run line this season, including an 18-14 mark on the road. The Cubs have been a better bet as the underdog, going 23-12 against the run line in those games. Their average run differential this season is -0.2 runs per game, with a -0.9 run differential on the road.

Chicago’s games have been averaging exactly 9.0 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 30-30. The over has hit in three straight games for the Cubs, and they have gone 3-4-2 this season when the over/under line is set at 9 runs. Overall, the over/under line for their games has been set at an average of 8 runs, and only 11.1% of their games have had a line set at 9 runs.

Left-hander Justin Steele gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Reds on the road. He has made seven starts this season and has a record of 0-2 with an ERA of 4.10. Opponents are batting .234 off Steele this season, and he has a WHIP of 1.21. Steele’s only quality start came on May 27th vs. the Brewers, where he went seven innings and didn’t give up a run. In his last outing, he gave up one earned run in five innings of work vs. the Reds. Steele finished with a no-decision in that outing.

Christopher Morel has been on a tear of late for the Cubs, as he has gone 7/28 in his last nine games, including three home runs and six RBIs. For the season, he is batting just .205, but his 12 homers are 9th best in the league and leads the Cubs. Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch are tied for 2nd on the team with eight homers apiece.

As a team, the Cubs are batting just .227, which is 21st in the league, and they are also just 16th in runs scored. Their team on-base percentage is just 14th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in slugging and OPS. Overall, they are 13th in home runs, but that hasn’t translated to a lot of runs.

Reds Records & Stats

Cincinnati is hosting the Cubs today with a record of 30-33, and they have won five straight games. The Reds are 4th in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 6.5 games. So far, they are 5-5 in divisional matchups.

The Reds have taken two straight series and have an overall series record of 7-12-1 this year. At home, they are 6-6 as the underdog this year and 15-17 overall at home. Cincinnati has the same record on the road as they do at home.

The Reds have a run differential of +0.2 runs per game this season and are 35-28 against the run line. They have been a better bet on the road, going 21-10 against the run line, compared to 14-18 at home. Cincinnati has been a slight underdog in more games than they have been the favorite, going 21-15 against the run line as the underdog.

The Cincinnati Reds have an over/under record of 30-30 this season, and their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game. The over/under line for today’s game against the Chicago Cubs is set at 9 runs. The Reds have played 21 games with over/under lines set higher than 9 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 9 runs is 1-8-2. Their games have gone over the total in two straight contests.

Cincinnati is sending left-hander Nick Lodolo to the mound today vs. the Cubs. He has made 8 starts this year and has a record of 5-2 with an ERA of 3.11. Lodolo’s WHIP for the season is .99, and he has turned in 3 quality starts. In his last outing, he went 6 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, and got the win. Before that, he had lost two straight starts. The most recent of those came on the road, where he gave up 4 earned runs in 6 innings of work. Lodolo’s ERA at home is 3.93 compared to 2.57 on the road.

Elly De La Cruz has been swinging a hot bat for the Reds of late, going 6/23 in his last five games with two homers and five RBIs. For the season, he is batting .240 and is 1st on the team with 11 homers. Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario are also near the top of the Reds’ home run leaderboard, with Steer having seven homers and Candelario and Will Benson each have eight.

As a team, the Reds are 12th in the league in scoring at 4.4 runs per game. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. Currently, they are 20th in the league in batting average and have one of the worst strikeout rates in the MLB.