Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Best Bet: Can Joey Votto and The Reds Get Hot Early?
Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Best Bet: Can Joey Votto and The Reds Get Hot Early?
The Cubs and Reds will close out a three-game series from Wrigley Field in a rubber match, with the series at one apiece. The Cubs took care of business by winning 8-3 last night after dropping the series opener. Now, the Cubs will try to win the closer behind veteran Kyle Hendricks. Can the Cubs close out the series strong? Or will the Reds take another road series?
Here are our predictions, best bets, and odds for Thursday's game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.
Cubs vs. Reds Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: June 30, 2022
- Game Time: 8:05 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MARQ, BSOH
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Cubs vs. Reds Line Movement
Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Prediction
The Reds have now won two road series in a row and are in a position to take three in a row, which is surprising considering the road woes they had earlier in the season. The Reds have definitely cranked it up a notch in June. They are hitting .270 in June after hitting .204 in April and starting the season 3-18. Part of this success has been the emergence of rookie Graham Ashcraft. Ashcraft is 4-1 this season with a 3.27 ERA, and, more importantly, the Reds have won six of the seven games started by Ashcraft. The Reds have also only been trailing after five innings only once in all seven of Ashcraft's starts, which is where our focus is today.
There are not many good things to say about Kyle Hendricks at this point in his career. He had multiple good seasons, including the Cubs' World Series season in 2016, but he has been underwhelming over the last few seasons. Hendricks has actually pitched worse at home as well. He has a 5.18 home ERA with a 1-3 record, while he has a 4.54 ERA on the road.
That seems to be the Cubs as a whole, honestly. The Cubs are 14-26 at home and 15-20 on the road. The Reds have as many road wins as the Cubs have at home. The Cubs are equally abysmal at covering the first-half line as a favorite at home, going 14-26 on the -.5 line in the first half at home. Take the Reds to be tied or leading after five behind their brightest youngster.
Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Best Bet
2U Play: Reds F5 +.5 @ -135 (Bet $135 to win $100)
Bet $10, Win $200 on any MLB Moneyline
Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Prediction
One specific hitter who has done well against Hendricks is Joey Votto. Votto is the Red's most seasoned hitter, and despite a horrible start to the year, he has been turning it around lately. Votto batted .129 in April but has since brought his season average up to .214. More importantly, Votto has had Hendricks's number over his career. Votto has 38 at-bats against Hendricks and 15 hits in those at-bats, including nine extra-base hits. Votto has a career .921 OPS off Hendricks, and the weather will only help Votto's cause tonight with the wind blowing out at around 15 mph. Take Votto to hit over 1.5 bases with a few knocks or even a dinger.
Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Player Prop Bet
1U Prop Play: Joey Votto O1.5 Bases @ -105 (Bet $105 to win $100)
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Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.