Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds Predictions, Picks, MLB Spring Training Odds 3/4/2020

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Goodyear Ballpark

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Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs will face off against Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, AZ for Spring Training. The Cubs are priced at +105 while the Reds are at -115.

Chicago Cubs

Last season, the Cubs finished with a record of 84-78. They were led by then manager, Joe Maddon. Maddon and the Cubs left a lot on the table last season. New manager David Ross, the team and fans alike will be looking for a much needed lift this season if they hope to make a playoff push. They didn't make a lot of noise in the offseason which had many people wondering. They needed some pitching help and we'll have to see if they did enough in the offseason to help in that area. Most think the Cubs didn't do enough this offseason. However, it seems they are banking on their core players to push this team to the playoffs, and it's not a bad bet.

Anthony Rizzo led the Cubs last season in many statistical categories. He finished the season with a batting average of .293 and an OBP of .405. Rizzo played in 146 games last season and made 613 plate appearances. He finished the season with 150 hits. 29 of those hits were doubles, three of them triples and 27 of them being home runs. Rizzo was only 6 RBIs short of 100. He was walked 71 times and struck out 86 times.

Javier Baez was another player for the Cubs that showed out last season. Over the course of the season he racked up 149 hits, 38 doubles and four triples. He finished with 29 home runs and 85 RBI. One area of the game that Baez will be looking to improve on is the strikeout category in which he had a team high 156.

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds finished the season with a record of 75-87. David Bell and the Reds finished in 4^th place in the Central Division. The Reds weren't being complacent in the offseason and made some big moves to help them move upward in the Central Division. They signed Mike Moustakas, which was most likely one of the biggest free agent signings that has ever taken place for the Reds. They also signed Nick Castellanos to a 4-year deal worth $64M. Castellanos should come in right away and improve the offense for the Reds. One other big signing was Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama. Akiyama is a bit of an unknown as he hasn't played in the MLB yet, but hit over .300 in four of the last five seasons that he played in Japan. All that said, the Reds are ready to make some noise.

Eugenio Suarez led the Cincinnati Reds last season with 49 home runs and 103 RBI. He also struck out 189 times. Suarez finished the season with a batting average of .271 and a slugging percentage of .572. He'll be looking to continue his offensive onslaught this season when Reds start the season.

Another leader for Cincinnati is first baseman Joey Votto. Votto finished with a .261 batting average. He knocked in 47 runs and ended up compiling a total of 137 hits on the year. He also had 32 double, one triple and five stolen bases. His slugging percentage was .411 and he struck out 123 times. Votto will be looking to get back into form after a season where he didn't play to his normal standards.

Last Game

On 3/2, the Cubs were defeated by the Oakland Athletics in Spring Training action by a score of 5-2. Jason Heyward finished the going 1-for-3 with two strikeouts. Josh Phegley also added a hit in this game, putting his Spring Training average at .250.

The Reds were winners on 3/2 by beating the Dodgers by a score of 6-2. The Reds were led by Jesse Winker who finished the game going 2-for-2 with 2 RBI and a walk. Curt Casali finished this one going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Cubs (+105)