Chicago Cubs (1-2) vs. Cincinnati Reds (2-1)
April 3, 2023 6:40 pm EDT
The Line: Cincinnati Reds +115 / Chicago Cubs -125; Over/Under: +8.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds meet Monday in MLB action at Great American Ball Park. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Chicago Cubs have scored 10 runs in their first 3 games and 4 or more runs in 2 of their first 3 games. The Cubs have won 13 of their last 14 games when scoring 4 or more runs. Dansby Swanson leads the Cubs with 7 hits and 2 RBI, while Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner have combined for 6 hits and 1 RBI. Drew Smyly gets the ball, and he was 7-8 with a 3.47 ERA and 91 strikeouts last season. Smyly is 5-0 with a 2.92 ERA and 42 strikeouts in his career against the Reds.
The Cincinnati Reds have scored 13 runs in their first 3 games and 4 or more runs in 2 of their first 3 games. The Reds have won 6 of their last 10 games when scoring 4 or more runs. Jonathan India leads the Reds with 5 hits and 1 RBI, while Jake Fraley and Tyler Stephenson have combined for 8 hits and 4 RBI. Connor Overton gets the ball, and he was 1-0 with a 2.73 ERA and 14 strikeouts last season. This will be Overton’s second career game against the Cubs.
The Cubs are 9-4 in their last 13 road games and 13-5 in their last 18 overall. The Reds are 5-2 in their last 7 home games and 8-21 in their last 29 overall. The under is 21-8-1 in Cubs last 30 overall. The under is 18-7-2 in Reds last 27 overall. The under is 5-2-1 in the last 8 meetings.
The Chicago Cubs showed flashes in their opening series and raise reason for optimism, and Drew Smyly was respectable last season. Connor Overton has just 7 career starts under his belt and I need a larger sample size before I can trust him. I’ll be keeping an eye on the Cubs for the next week or so. Give me the road team.
