Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction, 7/2/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds

Date: Friday, July 2, 2021

Location: Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (+115) Cincinnati (-152)

Great American Ball Park is the venue where Sonny Gray and the Cincinnati Reds (39-40, 4th in NL Central) will play the Chicago Cubs (42-39, 2nd in NL Central) on Friday. The Reds open this contest at -152 while the Cubs are coming in at +115. The O/U is set at 9. The starting pitchers will be Alec Mills and Sonny Gray.

As a team, the Chicago Cubs are knocking in 4.2 runs per contest, which has them at 18th in the league. They have 342 runs while holding a team OBP of .304. The Cubs have hit 99 two-baggers as a team and have hit 107 baseballs out of the stadium. They have earned 326 RBI's as well as 581 base knocks this season, while their batting average is .223. Chicago is slugging .395 and have struck out 787 times, while drawing a walk on 264 occasions.

The Cubs have a team earned run average of 3.97 so far this year (13th in the league), and their staff has struck out 721 hitters. They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.29 and their pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.31. Cubs pitchers have allowed 98 home runs and also 344 total runs (15th in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 315 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 4.45 as a squad over the course of the season.

The Cubs have sent 300 relief pitchers to the hill this year. The relief pitchers have inherited 123 runners for the year and 26.8% of those runners earned a run for their team. They have compiled 23 saves this season and have missed out on 7 of their 30 chances to save the game. The Cubs relief pitchers have recorded a save rate of 76.7% and has stepped onto the mound in 88 save situations. The relief pitchers have a total of 57 holds so far this year (1st in baseball). Cubs relief pitchers have come into the game with runners on 80 times and also have had 91 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Cubs have converted 70.9% of balls hit into play into outs out of 6,399 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 7th in pro baseball. The Chicago Cubs are sitting with 2,133 putouts this season, in addition to 777 assists and 41 errors. Their fielding rate is at .986 which has them ranked 5th in professional baseball, and have earned 511 double plays.

Mills has thrown 156 innings and has accumulated 141 punch outs so far in his MLB career. Mills (9-7 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 4.63 and he has faced 661 batters in the majors. His earned run average is 4.37 (76 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.270. He has allowed 143 base hits (8.2 hits per 9 innings) and has 56 free passes.

The Cincinnati Reds have compiled a team OBP of .328 and a team batting average of .249 this season. They have been rung up on 691 occasions (20th in baseball) and have accounted for 662 base knocks. Cincinnati has hit 105 home runs on the year to go along with 376 runs batted in. The Reds hold a team slugging percentage of .421 and they are scoring 4.97 runs per contest (5th in baseball). They have recorded 133 two-baggers, while getting a free base 271 times and putting up 393 runs.

The Reds are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.381 in addition to having a FIP of 4.44 as a staff so far this season. Their K/BB ratio sits at 2.35 (773 strikeouts against 329 bases on balls). They come in at 18th in MLB as a staff in total hits surrendered with 639. They have given up 104 long balls and they concede 5.11 runs per 9 innings (24th in the league). The Cincinnati pitching staff have surrendered 398 runs for the year and come in with a team ERA of 4.70 (366 earned runs surrendered).

Cincinnati relievers have an inherited score rate of 42.6% out of 129 inherited runners. Their relief pitchers have taken the field 82 times in high leverage situations and also on 86 occasions with runners on. With 62 save situations, the Reds have accumulated 28 holds in addition to 13 blown saves. They sit at 19th in the league with a save rate of 59.4%, and they have dispatched 285 relief pitchers onto the field this season. Cincinnati has called on bullpen pitchers to enter the game in 32 save opportunities and they have tallied 19 saves.

In their 6,309 innings on the field, the Reds have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 69.0% (21st in the majors). The Cincinnati Reds have turned 46 double plays and have a fielding rate of .983 (19th in MLB). The Reds have racked up 671 assists, 48 errors and have amassed 2,103 putouts this year.

During his pro baseball career, Gray has given up 1,023 base hits while totaling 1,131 strikeouts in 1,182 frames. He has conceded a total of 464 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.223 and a FIP of 3.7. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.67 and he has faced 4,927 hitters so far in his MLB career. Gray (76-67 win-loss record in his career) has earned a 3.53 earned run average while allowing 7.8 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's baseball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Cincinnati (-152)

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