Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs Baseball Betting Tips and Predictions 5/24/2019
Friday, May 24, 2019
Wrigley Field
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Anthony DeSclafani vs. Kyle Hendricks
Wrigley Field is the site where Willson Contreras and the Chicago Cubs (29-18, 1st in NL Central) will play the Cincinnati Reds (22-27, 5th in NL Central) on Friday. The Cubs open this game at -155 while the Reds are priced at +145. The O/U has been set at 9.
The Reds have been terrible for wagerers, having gone 22-27-0 SU. Chicago covers 61.7% of the time, going 29-18-0 straight up. The Cubs have been bad for oddsmakers as the favorite, going 24-9-0 SU. Cincinnati has gone 9-20-0 straight up as an underdog, so they are covering 31.0% of the time.
Valuable Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends
The Reds have been a rough Over pick for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 17-31-1.
The Reds are covering 38.5% of the time as a visitor, having gone 10-16-0 straight up.
Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Cubs are covering 70.8% of the time at Wrigley Field, going 17-7-0 SU.
The Cubs have been a pretty good Over pick for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 25-22-0.
Key Cincinnati Reds Injuries
05/23/19 RF Yasiel Puig Shoulder is questionable Friday vs Chicago Cubs
05/21/19 P Zach Duke Calf 10-day IL (05/20)
03/30/19 3B Alex Blandino Knee 10-day IL (03/25)
03/27/19 P Alex Wood Back 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 2B Scooter Gennett Groin 60-day IL (03/25)
Key Chicago Cubs Injuries
05/23/19 3B Kris Bryant Rest is not in the starting lineup Thursday vs Philadelphia Phillies
05/22/19 P Xavier Cedeno Wrist 10-day IL (05/22)
05/11/19 P Allen Webster Arm 10-day IL (05/11)
05/08/19 2B Ben Zobrist Personal is out indefinitely
05/08/19 P Pedro Strop Hamstring 10-day IL (05/07)
05/02/19 P Brandon Morrow Elbow 60-day IL (05/02)
03/25/19 P Kendall Graveman Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Tony Barnette Shoulder 60-day IL (03/25)
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Reds have a 22-27 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani has a 2-2 record with an earned run average of 4.60 and a WHIP of 1.24 this season. He has 50 strikeouts over his 45 innings pitched and he's given up 42 hits. He's allowed 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.81. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.56 and they have given up 152 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the bullpen and they've struck out 192 hitters and walked 66 batters. As a team, Cincinnati allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.5. The Reds pitchers collectively have given up 373 base hits and 170 earned runs. They have allowed 46 home runs this season, ranking them 29th in the league. Cincinnati as a pitching staff has walked 162 batters and struck out 481. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.23 and their FIP as a unit is 3.47.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Cincinnati is hitting .219, good for 30th in the league. The Reds hold a .387 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .292, which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 28th in MLB with 7.2 hits per game. Jose Iglesias is hitting .303 with an on-base percentage of .333. He has 47 hits this season in 155 at bats with 17 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .426 and an OPS+ of 99. Eugenio Suarez is hitting .254 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .338. He has totaled 45 hits and he has driven in 31 men in 177 at bats. His OPS+ is 125 while his slugging percentage is at .531. The Reds have 355 hits, including 58 doubles and 68 home runs. Cincinnati has walked 149 times so far this season and they have struck out 435 times as a unit. They have left 287 men on base and have a team OPS of .679. They score 4.1 runs per contest and have scored a total of 201 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Chicago has a 29-18 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.21, Kyle Hendricks has a 4-4 record and a 1.18 WHIP. He has 45 strikeouts over the 56 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 55 hits. He's allowing 8.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.28. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.90 and they have given up 142 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 164 batters and walked 91 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.59. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 382 base knocks and 171 earned runs this season. They have given up 50 home runs this year, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 186 hitters and struck out 422 batters. They give up a walk 3.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 4.00.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .257, good for 6th in the league. The Cubs hold a .452 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .347, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Willson Contreras comes into this matchup batting .312 with an OBP of .421. He has 44 hits this year along with 30 RBI in 141 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .603 with an OPS+ of 168. Kris Bryant is hitting .280 this season and he has an OBP of .404. He has collected 49 hits in 175 at bats while driving in 32 runs. He has an OPS+ of 153 and a slugging percentage of .560. The Cubs as a unit have 414 base hits, including 84 doubles and 72 homers. Chicago has walked 203 times this year and they have struck out on 416 occasions. They have had 346 men left on base and have an OPS of .799. They have scored 5.38 runs per game and totaled 253 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Reds/Cubs MLB game against the spread?
Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs -155
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Read more articles by Guy Bruhn
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks