Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs MLB Picks & Predictions 9/18/2019

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Tyler Mahle vs. Jon Lester

Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs (82-68, 2nd in NL Central) play the Cincinnati Reds (70-81, 4th in NL Central) at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. The Cubs open this contest at -190 while the Reds are coming in at +178. The over/under has been set at 10.

The Reds have been a decent pick for bettors, having gone 70-81-0 SU. Chicago is covering 54.7% of the time, going 82-68-0 straight up.

Valuable Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Reds have been a less than ideal Over choice for O/U wagerers, having gone 58-87-6.

The Reds are covering 39.5% of the time away from home, having gone 30-46-0 straight up.

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Cubs are covering 68.0% of the time at Wrigley Field, going 51-24-0 SU.

The Cubs have been a hot and cold Under choice for O/U wagerers, having gone 69-74-7.

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

Key Cincinnati Reds Injuries

9/16/2019 Jose Iglesias SS Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
9/16/2019 Alex Wood SP Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/16/2019 Josh VanMeter LF Personal
9/16/2019 Jesse Winker LF Neck Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/16/2019 Joey Votto 1B Illness Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
9/16/2019 Freddy Galvis 2B Knee Probable for Sep 16
9/12/2019 Nick Senzel CF Shoulder Out for the season
9/4/2019 Kyle Farmer 2B Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 18

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

9/17/2019 Brandon Kintzler RP Oblique
9/16/2019 Anthony Rizzo 1B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
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 70-81 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Tyler Mahle has a 2-11 record with an earned run average of 5.11 and a WHIP of 1.32 this season. He has 120 strikeouts over his 116.1 innings pitched and he's given up 125 hits. He's allowed 9.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.49. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.47 and they have given up 457 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .236 against the bullpen and they've struck out 556 hitters and walked 221 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 4.21. The Reds pitchers collectively have given up 1,194 base hits and 625 earned runs. They have allowed 201 home runs this season, ranking them 18th in the league. Cincinnati as a pitching staff has walked 501 batters and struck out 1,448. 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 4.25.

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 .425 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315, 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 1,239 hits, including 214 doubles and 216 home runs. Cincinnati has walked 447 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,327 times as a unit. They have left 976 men on base and have a team OPS of .740. They score 4.42 runs per contest and have scored a total of 668 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 82-68 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.59, Jon Lester has a 13-10 record and a 1.50 WHIP. He has 156 strikeouts over the 160.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 191 hits. He's allowing 10.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.32. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.90 and they have given up 443 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 510 batters and walked 233 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.5 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 4.02. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,267 base knocks and 597 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 485 hitters and struck out 1,319 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 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 .334, 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 .289 with an OBP of .388. He has 151 hits this year along with 77 RBI in 523 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .537 with an OPS+ of 135. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .235 this season and he has an OBP of .325. He has collected 116 hits in 493 at bats while driving in 88 runs. He has an OPS+ of 111 and a slugging percentage of .515. The Cubs as a unit have 1,285 base hits, including 249 doubles and 243 homers. Chicago has walked 544 times this year and they have struck out on 1,354 occasions. They have had 993 men left on base and have an OPS of .791. They have scored 5.13 runs per game and totaled 770 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Reds (+178)

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