The Cincinnati Reds (18-24) play the second game of a 3-game series with the Chicago Cubs (25-18) Wednesday in the Windy City. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field. Below, we analyze the Reds-Cubs MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Series: Chicago leads 1-0 (3-0 win Tuesday).
Reds at Cubs: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Trevor Bauer vs. RHP Yu Darvish
Bauer: 3-3 with a 2.05 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 12.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 44 IP over 7 starts.
- Last start: Loss, 4-3, with 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 7 K and 2 BB at the Pittsburgh Pirates Sept. 4.
- Career vs. Cubs: 4-1 with a 1.41 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 37 K and 12 BB in 32 IP over 5 starts.
- Career at Wrigley Field: 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 13 K and 5 BB in 11 IP over 2 starts.
Darvish: 7-1 with a 1.44 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 11.3 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 50 IP over 8 starts.
- Last start: Win, 4-1, with 7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 11 K and 0 BB versus the St. Louis Cardinals Sept. 4.
- Career vs. Reds: 4-2 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 73 K and 17 BB in 56 IP over 9 starts.
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Reds at Cubs: Key injuries
(Get the latest injury news here.)
Reds
- OF Nick Senzel (undisclosed) out
- RP Nate Jones (paternity) out
Cubs
- OF Jason Heyward (illness) probable
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Reds at Cubs: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 12:05 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML)
We have a legit pitchers’ duel with Darvish taking the mound for the Cubs (-150) and Bauer for the Reds (+135). As much as I expect Bauer to come back strong from his Aug. 29 loss to the Cubs (3-0), the edge goes to Chicago because Darvish is on the shortlist of NL Cy Young contenders.
Darvish’s head-to-head numbers versus the Reds’ lineup are better than Bauer’s against the Cubs. 1B Anthony Rizzo hit two solo homers Aug. 29 and 3B Kris Bryant has a .364 batting average in 11 at-bats versus Bauer.
Picking Chicago is one thing but I am going to PASS ON THE MONEYLINE because the Cubs (-150) is too expensive.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
BetMGM did a pretty good job pricing this one and I cannot find the value in the Reds +1.5 (-176) and the Cubs -1.5 (+145). I like Chicago to win but the line needs to be +155 or higher for me to splash.
The Cubs have an 8-10 run line record as a home favorite and the Reds are 3-5 RL as a road dog. Neither side gets my money here. PASS ON THE RUN LINE.
Over/Under (O/U)
The weather report is forecasting 12 mph blowing in the face of hitters making it difficult for them to go yard. Both the Cubs and Reds lineups are in the bottom-5 in batting average and the starters don’t walk many hitters.
There aren’t going to be many baserunners or a lot of opportunities for runs to be scored. BET UNDER 6.5 (-110).
New to sports betting? An $11 bet on Under 6.5 (-110) pays a $10 profit if the Cubs and Reds combine for fewer than 7 runs.
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