Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 8/2/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Odds/Point Spread: Cincinnati (+136) Chicago (-162)

Wrigley Field is the location where the Chicago Cubs (53-53) will go up against the Cincinnati Reds (59-49) on Wednesday. The moneyline on this game has Cincinnati at +136 and Chicago is coming in at -162. The over/under comes in at 9. The pitchers taking the mound will be Brandon Williamson and Drew Smyly.

The Reds have earned 189 doubles as a team and have hit 120 baseballs out of the stadium. Cincinnati has a slugging rate of .414 and have struck out 977 times, while drawing a walk on 379 occasions. As a team, the Cincinnati Reds are putting up 4.9 runs/g, which has them sitting at 9th in baseball. They have tallied 508 runs batted in as well as 922 base knocks this year, while their team batting average comes in at .252. They have notched a total of 526 runs scored while holding a team on-base percentage of .331.

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Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 2.25 and the pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.41. Reds pitchers have yielded 141 home runs in addition to 522 runs (24th in the league). Cincinnati has conceded 958 base hits (9.0 per 9 innings) and 494 earned runs. The Reds have an earned run average of 4.62 over the course of the season (26th in MLB), and their staff has struck out 906 batters. Their pitching staff has walked 403 opposing hitters and their FIP comes in at 4.72 as a team on the season.

The Reds have sent 398 relief pitchers to the hill on the campaign. The relief pitchers have inherited 209 base runners on the season and 27.3% of them ended up scoring. They have earned 41 saves for the year and have blown 16 of 57 chances to get a save. The Reds bullpen have accumulated a save percentage of 71.9% and stepped onto the hill in 127 save situations. The relief pitchers have recorded 68 holds this year (6th in baseball). Reds relief pitchers have come into the game with opponents on base 148 times in addition to having 170 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Reds have turned 68.6% of balls hit into play into outs out of 8,661 innings on the field, which has them ranked 19th in pro baseball. The Cincinnati Reds are sitting with 2,887 putouts on the campaign, as well as 881 assists and 47 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding steady at .988 which ranks 8th in pro baseball, and have 89 double plays.

Williamson has thrown 64 innings and has tallied 48 strikeouts so far in his pro baseball career. Williamson (3-2 career record) has earned a FIP of 5.11 and he has gone up against 269 opposing hitters during his time in the majors. His ERA is 4.48 (32 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.337. He has allowed 59 hits (8.3 hits per nine innings) with 27 free passes.

Chicago has hit 120 long balls on the campaign to go along with 502 runs batted in. They have 166 two-baggers, while getting a free base 382 times and scoring 519 runs. The Chicago Cubs have a team OBP of .332 in addition to a team batting average of .254 on the season. The Cubs have a slugging percentage of .410 and they are earning 4.90 runs per contest (7th in the league). They have been rung up on 960 instances (10th in baseball) and have recorded 913 base hits.

The Chicago pitching staff have allowed 463 runs on the year while holding a team ERA of 4.08 (425 earned runs yielded). They have surrendered 111 HR's and they relinquish 4.44 runs per 9 innings (15th in MLB). The Cubs have a team WHIP of 1.270 and have a FIP of 4.15 as a staff over the course of the season. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 8.30 (869 strikeouts vs 332 free passes). They rank 9th in MLB as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 859.

Chicago has called on bullpen pitchers to step onto the hill in 27 save chances and they have recorded 18 saves. They are currently ranked 11th in MLB with a save percentage of 66.7%, and they have sent 323 relievers onto the field so far this year. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 78 times in high leverage situations and on 84 occasions with base runners. Chicago relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 28.1% of 139 inherited runners. Sitting with 77 save situations, the Cubs have tallied 49 holds and also 9 blown saves.

The Chicago Cubs have turned 94 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .986 (16th in baseball). The Cubs have accrued 981 assists, 55 errors and have amassed 2,814 putouts for the year. In 8,442 innings played, the Cubs have a defensive efficiency of 69.9% (8th in MLB).

During his career, Smyly has surrendered 1,012 hits while he has tallied 1,019 strikeouts in 1,051 innings pitched. Smyly (61-54 career win-loss record) has earned a 4.14 earned run average while surrendering 8.7 hits per nine innings. He has allowed 484 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.275 and having a FIP of 4.3. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.10 and he has faced 4,436 hitters in his career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago (-162)

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