Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs MLB Picks & Predictions 9/17/2019

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Sonny Gray vs. Yu Darvish

Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs (81-68, 2nd in NL Central) play the Cincinnati Reds (70-80, 4th in NL Central) at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, September 17, 2019. The Reds open this game at +150 while the Cubs are priced at -160. The O/U is set at 9.5.

The Reds have been a good bet for MLB wagerers, having gone 70-80-0 SU. The Cubs are covering 54.4% of the time, going 81-68-0 straight up.

Valuable Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Reds have been a less than ideal Over choice for over/under wagerers, having gone 57-87-6.

Cincinnati is covering 40.0% of the time as the road team, having gone 30-45-0 straight up.

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

Chicago is covering 67.6% of the time at Wrigley Field, going 50-24-0 SU.

The Cubs have been a decent Over choice for over/under wagerers, having gone 68-74-7.

Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc's Sports

Key Cincinnati Reds Injuries

9/15/2019 Freddy Galvis 2B Knee Probable for Sep 16
9/13/2019 Jesse Winker LF Neck Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/12/2019 Nick Senzel CF Shoulder Out for the season
9/7/2019 Alex Wood SP Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
9/4/2019 Kyle Farmer 2B Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 18

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

9/15/2019 Anthony Rizzo 1B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
9/15/2019 Craig Kimbrel RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
9/15/2019 Addison Russell 2B Concussion Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
9/13/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
9/10/2019 Xavier Cedeno RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
9/9/2019 Javier Baez SS Thumb Out for the season
8/22/2019 Brandon Morrow RP Elbow Out for the season
2/19/2019 Kendall Graveman SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Reds have a 70-80 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Sonny Gray has a 10-7 record with an earned run average of 2.80 and a WHIP of 1.09 this season. He has 190 strikeouts over his 163.2 innings pitched and he's given up 115 hits. He's allowed 6.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.43. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.44 and they have given up 450 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the bullpen and they've struck out 552 hitters and walked 216 batters. As a team, Cincinnati allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.8 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.18. The Reds pitchers collectively have given up 1,184 base hits and 617 earned runs. They have allowed 200 home runs this season, ranking them 18th in the league. Cincinnati as a pitching staff has walked 496 batters and struck out 1,442. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 4.24.

Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Cincinnati is hitting .245, good for 24th in the league. The Reds hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Jose Iglesias is hitting .286 with an on-base percentage of .312. He has 134 hits this season in 469 at bats with 53 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .407 and an OPS+ of 84. Joey Votto is hitting .268 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .359. He has totaled 132 hits and he has driven in 46 men in 492 at bats. His OPS+ is 101 while his slugging percentage is at .423. The Reds have 1,233 hits, including 213 doubles and 216 home runs. Cincinnati has walked 440 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,318 times as a unit. They have left 965 men on base and have a team OPS of .741. They score 4.44 runs per contest and have scored a total of 666 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 81-68 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.97, Yu Darvish has a 6-6 record and a 1.11 WHIP. He has 204 strikeouts over the 163.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 127 hits. He's allowing 7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.95 and they have given up 440 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 505 batters and walked 231 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 4.04. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,261 base knocks and 595 earned runs this season. They have given up 181 home runs this year, which ranks 27th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 478 hitters and struck out 1,310 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 while their FIP as a staff is 4.25.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 13th in the league. The Cubs hold a .457 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .333, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .288 with an OBP of .386. He has 150 hits this year along with 77 RBI in 520 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .538 with an OPS+ of 135. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .235 this season and he has an OBP of .326. He has collected 115 hits in 489 at bats while driving in 85 runs. He has an OPS+ of 111 and a slugging percentage of .511. The Cubs as a unit have 1,275 base hits, including 247 doubles and 242 homers. Chicago has walked 539 times this year and they have struck out on 1,348 occasions. They have had 986 men left on base and have an OPS of .790. They have scored 5.11 runs per game and totaled 762 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Reds/Cubs MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Reds (+150)

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