On the horizon: Cubs vs reds series seen

The Reds dragged around second place in the central NL, behind the cubs, until the beginning of May where they lost nine of the 11 left them in third row. A sequence of five consecutive victories was hot again, until they abandon the last two in a series of three games to Pittsburgh.

To find out more about the Reds, here is Wick Terrell, director of our SB Nation Reds Red Reporter site.

Reds can really launch!

To date, they rank third in the general classification of FWAR by the starting launchers (5.5), and it is despite the time of Hunter Greene and Chase Petty – its filling – being bombed 13 points deserved in just 5⅓ IP in departures. Greene, of course, should return to the mound for the opening of the Friday series between these two clubs, and he will do it after having launched an ACE in good faith that any baseball launcher since the start of the 2024 season. He is the owner of an MPM of 2.66 in this period, which is fourth among the 94 MLB launchers who recorded at least 160 IP at that time.

Lefts Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott have been just as effective as Greene in 2025 in many ways, and they will complement Reds beginners for this series. It’s a good thing that they are both on Reds and not elsewhere in the central NL, however, because the Reds offensive cannot simply obtain real momentum this season – especially against LHP. Bailey Falter and Andrew Heane has just closed them completely at the end of the Reds series in Pittsburgh, and of course, they will face Matthew Boyd to start the series against the Cubs.

Their overall season numbers are not managinating, but they are suffocated by scoring 68 points in their four most productive games of the season (including an explosion of 24 points against Baltimore who came largely to the detriment of the position players who launch). The austere reality is that they have already been excluded Eithg Times this year and that the 14 games they have scored one or less points are equal for the most baseball this season. The injuries through the list did not help, of course, but there is always much better in this canoe than what we saw day by day, which the coach striking Chris Valaika has not yet really unlocked.

If these reds really have conceptions to win the Central NL this year, well, it will have to start this weekend against Cubs. Nothing less than a serial victory begins to bury them in territory from which the teams generally do not recover in this type of races, and I expect to see them treat these games as such – especially after Thursday to reset the enclosure of the lifts.

Funny facts

Today’s match, the 51st of the Cubs of the season will be their first against the Reds division rivals. They welcome the Reds for the first time next Friday. The Cubs have still not played the cardinals and will not do it before June 23 in Saint-Louis.

…

From 2015 to 17, the Cubs went 20-8 to Cincinnati, winning seven series, losing one and dividing one.

Since 2018, they have been 24 to 34, winning four series, losing eight and divided six. They were swept away in three series, including a three game set during their first visit last year. They divided a series of four games later. The Cubs swept three games in 2015 and 2016. They won two of the three in 2022. It will be their sixth series at GABP since then.

(Gracious BCB Johnw53)

Probable pitch matches

Friday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (4-2, 2.98 ERA, 1,227 Whip, 3.86 FIP) against Hunter Greene, RHP (4-2, 2.36 ERA, 0.810 Whip, 3.08 FIP)

SATURDAY: Colin Rea, RHP (3-0, 2.38 ERA, 1,200 whip, 3.60 FIP) against Andrew Abbott, LHP (3-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.114 whip, 3.13 FIP)

Sunday: Ben Brown, RHP (3-3, 5.44 ERA, 1.554 whip, 3.51 FIP) against Nick Lodolo, LHP (4-4, 3.22 ERA, 1.057 Whip, 3.62 FIP)

Times and television channels

Friday: 5:40 p.m. CT, brand sports network

SATURDAY: 3:10 p.m. CT, brand sports network

Sunday: 12:40 p.m. Sports Network, MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Reds market areas)

Prediction

This is the first time that the Cubs will face two left starters in a series. While the cubs have a good ops against LHP overall (.827), they did not successfully succeed in LH (6-5, compared to 24-15 HR entrances).

As you know, I like to choose “two out of three” so I’m going to stick to that. But it will be a little more difficult than the other recent series, and the Reds could win it.

The next

Cubs return to Wrigley Field to open a series of three games against Colorado Rockies on Monday afternoon.