Reds vs Cubs Prediction & MLB Odds For Saturday, September 28th

From Wrigley Field in Chicago, we have the Reds and Cubs facing off in an NL Central matchup. This game is getting started at 2:20 PM ET, and it is being televised by MARQ.

The Cubs are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -129, compared to the Reds at +110. This game will be started by Rhett Lowder for the Reds and Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs. Cincinnati is 4th in the NL Central, while the Cubs are 3rd, with an overall record of 82-78.

Betting Odds & Lines for this Game

• Spread: Reds 1.5 (-214) | Cubs -1.5 (+170)
• Total: 7
• MoneyLine: Reds +110 | Cubs -129

All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)

Reds vs. Cubs Prediction: Moneyline

Chicago picked up a 1-0 win over the Reds in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs offense only had five hits but took advantage of a good outing from Jameson Taillon, who went seven innings and gave up just one hit and no earned runs. As for the Reds, Nick Martinez pitched well in the loss, going eight innings and giving up just one earned run.

In the first inning of the game, the Cubs scored the game’s only run. As for the Reds, they had their best chance to score in the 5th when they put two runners on with nobody out, but Taillon got out of the jam without giving up a run.

Cincinnati wasted a good outing from Martinez, as he gave up just one run in eight innings of work for the Reds. Chicago’s bullpen closed things out, with Porter Hodge getting the save.

Cincinnati is 76-84 overall and is 4th in the NL Central. They trail the Brewers by 16 games for the division lead and are 23-27 against other teams in the NL Central. The Reds have dropped four straight games, and they are 3-7 across their last ten games.

At home, the Reds are 39-42 compared to 37-42 on the road. As the road underdog, the Reds are 25-36 this season, and they have dropped four straight as the road underdog. Cincinnati’s overall series record is 19-29-3, and they are currently losing this series vs. the Cubs.

With an overall record of 82-78, the Cubs are 10 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. Currently, the Cubs and Cardinals are tied for 2nd place in the division. Chicago is 22-28 against other NL Central teams this season.

Chicago has won two straight games as the favorite, and they are 44-38 when favored this season. As for their record as the underdog, the Cubs are 38-40. At home, the Cubs are 43-36 this year and 39-42 on the road.

Reds vs. Cubs Prediction: Over/Under

When the Cincinnati Reds are on the road, the over/under line is set at 7 runs. The Reds have an over/under record of 73-80 this season, and their games have averaged a combined 8.7 runs per game. Their games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs this season. When the line is set at 7 runs, the Reds have a record of 2-2-2. The over has hit in 95.6% of their games this season, and they are currently on a streak of five straight unders.

Elly De La Cruz has been the Reds’ most consistent hitter this season, batting .261 overall and going 6/21 in his last five games. He also has 25 homers, which is the best mark on the team. Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario are also tied for 2nd on the team in homers, but Steer is batting just .228, and Candelario is hitting .225. However, Steer does have 92 RBIs, which is the best mark on the team.

As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.4 runs per game and are 14th in home runs. They are also one of the league’s better teams at avoiding strikeouts. So far, they have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.4 runs per game.

The Chicago Cubs are playing at home against the Cincinnati Reds today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7 runs. The Cubs have had a combined run average of 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 75-79. When the over/under line is set at 7 runs, their record is 4-5-1. Overall, 91.9% of their games this season have had higher over/under lines than 7 runs.

Over the past eight games, Nico Hoerner has been swinging a hot bat for the Cubs, going 12/28 (.429) with two homers and seven runs scored. This has helped him move his season batting average up to .276, which is 4th on the team. Ian Happ and Michael Busch are tied for 2nd on the team with 21 homers apiece, but Busch is batting just .250 this season, and Happ’s batting average is only .245.

Overall, the Cubs are averaging 4.6 runs per game and are one of the league’s top home run hitting teams. Their team batting average of .243 is 9th in the league, and they have been good at drawing walks this season. As a team, they are batting .243 and are 9th in on-base percentage.

Reds vs. Cubs Prediction: Spread

The Reds are 86-74 on the run line this season. They are 38-43 vs. the run line at home and 48-31 on the road. Cincinnati has an average run margin of 0.0 runs per game this season. They are 29-40 vs. the run line as the favorite and 57-34 as the underdog. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.8 runs per game, while it is -3.4 runs per game in losing games. Their run line losing streak on the road is 0.

Rhett Lowder is on the mound for the Reds today, as they take on the Cubs. This will be his second road start of the season, and he is coming off a win in his last outing, where he went 5 innings and struck out 4. Lowder has made 4 starts this season and has yet to give up a home run.

The Cubs are 77-83 against the run line this season, including a 30-49 mark at home. Their average run differential is +0.4 runs per game, and they have gone 47-34 vs. the run line on the road. Chicago has been the underdog in 78 games, going 50-28 vs. the run line in those contests.

Kyle Hendricks gets the start for the Cubs today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Nationals. In that start, he took the loss, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up four earned runs. Looking back further, he has made 23 starts and has a record of 4-12. Hendricks’ ERA for the season is 6.28, along with a WHIP of 1.51. Opposing batters are hitting .289 off Hendricks this season. One positive note is that he has turned in four straight quality starts before the outing vs. the Nationals. So far, he has allowed 21 homers and is averaging 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Reds vs. Cubs Pick: Cubs ML -129

Our pick for this Reds vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line at -129. We actually have the Cubs winning this one 6-5, and with the payout for the Cubs to win straight up, we think this is the best way to play this one.

Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Kyle Hendricks finishing with four strikeouts, which has him as one of the worst starters in terms of K’s. As for the Reds starter, Rhett Lowder, we have him finishing with six strikeouts, which has him in the middle of the pack.