Game Time: 7:15 pm ET, Thursday, August 11th, 2022

Venue: Field of Dreams ballpark, Dyersville, Iowa

Where to Watch:  Fox 

DraftKings: Moneyline: Cubs -110, Reds -110; O/U 85.

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  

PointsBet:  Moneyline: 

 

Cubs: 44-65, 3rd place NL Central

Reds: 44-65, 4th place NL Central

We will be betting this game as if it is a regular season game between the Cubs and the Reds… because it is… There is just no clear stadium advantage to count in the stats.

It is here again… The Field Of Dreams Game!  A couple of years ago MLb decided that they would have a special game played in a cornfield in Iowa… to cash in on the nostalgia of a 3 decade old Kevin Costner movie.  The movie, if you have never seen it, is about a farmer in Iowa who begins to hear a voice… which he is certain is the voice of the long dead, infamously shamed, and disgraced baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson.  So the Farmer plows under a portion of his field to build a baseball diamond… then a random group of people are brought together to watch a bunch of ghosts play baseball and there is some stuff about forgiveness and fathers and sons… and you know?... Not a dry eye in the house.  It is an effective movie.  The crux of it is at the movie’s end people are showing up to pay to watch the ghosts play ball… and during the closing credits we are to assume the money will save the financially struggling farm.  That is exactly why Major League Baseball LOVES THIS MOVIE!  It makes the case that fans should pay “whatever they can afford” to see a game… that fans should enjoy the whole experience as something more than just baseball… and that is why they SHOULD pay money.  That is a dark view but it is true. If the Field Of Dreams game was a REAL celebration of baseball it would not be a random NL Central game between two struggling teams…. It would be whoever is in 1st place in the American League (The Yankees) vs whoever is in first place in the National League (The Dodgers)... and we would really celebrate Baseball!  Instead the MLB uses this occasion to boost the ratings of what would be a very lowly rated match-up.  Or better yet!  How about Yankees vs Astros and Mets vs Dodgers in a Double header… with the winners playing on Day two?!  That would be a celebration of Baseball!!  But they would not do that because they would miss out on tickets and concessions at all those filled ballparks!  So what we have is a mild betting opportunity between two teams that will not threaten for any postseason appearances let alone success… to celebrate a movie from the late 80’s. Oh it will also sell a grip of T-shirts to Iowans.

The Chicago Cubs have only won 3 of their last 10 games.  They struggle to score, but also they struggle to get quality outings on the mound.  They went 1-1 against the Washington Nationals, 2-1 against the Miami Marlins, 0-3 against the St Louis Cardinals, and 0-2 against the San Francisco Giants.  The NL Central is not a tough division and the Cubs are not a good team in the NL Central.

The Cincinnati Reds have won 6 of their last 10 games.  They score a little better than the Cubs, but still below average… They are terrible on the mound.  The went 0-2 against the New York Mets, 2-1 against the Milwaukee Brewers, 2-1 against the Miami Marlins, and 2-0 against the Baltimore Orioles during that stretch.  The NL Central is not a tough division and the Reds are not a good team in the NL Central.

The Field of Dream game is a good spectacle.  I don’t mean to be down on it… but it is simply not a good matchup for a prime time Network advertisement for the joy of baseball.  If this were Basketball celebrating The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.. The NBA would find a way to get stars in the game.  If this were football celebrating The Waterboy… the NFL would find a way to get a  good quarterback matchup.  If this were Golf celebrating Tin Cup?... Then a bunch of golfers would take blood money while thumbing their noses at the victims of 9/11.    However this is still an MLB game… and we will need to look at the pitching matchup, the stats and the injury list before making a betting recommendation below.

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The Cubs are 21st in scoring with 4.13 runs per game, 15th in batting average with .243, and 10th in OBP with .317.  

The Reds are 19th in scoring with 4.26 runs per game, 19th in batting average with .239, and 20th in OBP with .308.

The Cubs pitchers are 24th in ERA with 4.32, 25th in WHIP with 1.33, and the fielders are 25th in errors with 69 on the season so far.

The Reds pitchers are 29th in ERA with 5.00, 26th in WHIP with 1.40, and the fielders are 10th in errors with 54 on the season so far.

Our prediction for Thursday, August 11th is… Reds 5 - Cubs 3

The advantage here is on the Reds and their slight scoring edge.  The Reds also get the chance to be the honorary “home team”.  It is kind of odd that Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball for throwing a World Series for Gamblers… yet the only people with any reason to watch this season’s Field of Dreams game will be gamblers.    The bet is for the Reds on the moneyline.  The O/U could go either way.

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The Cubs are 3-12 this season when playing with a day off.

The Cubs are 2023-2094 in all games (-310.4 Units) since 1997.

The Reds are 1935-2134 in all games (-149.6 Units) since 1997.

Cubs: RF J. Heyward (knee) Out ** CF M. Hermansillo (quad) Out ** and a boatload of pitchers on the IR

Reds: 2B M Moustakas Quest, C T Stephenson OUT, C A. Garcia OUT ** and a boatload of pitchers on IR

Cubs: LHP Drew Smyly, 4-6, 3.97 ERA, 52 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched. 1.29 WHIP.  The 33 year old is nicknamed “smiles”... Isn’t that nice?

 

Reds: LHP Nick Lodolo 3-3, 4.40 ERA, 58 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched. 1.58 WHIP.

 

A game so special to baseball that neither manager bothered to start a pitcher with a winning record on the season.

Cubs: Rafael Ortega, C Wilson Contreras, LF Ian Happ, RF Seiya Suzuki, DH Franmil Reyes, SS Nico Hoerner, 1B Patrick Wisdom, 3B Zack Mckinstry, 2B Christopher Morel

Reds: 2B Jonathan India, CF Nick Senzel, 3B Kyle Farmer, 1B Joey Votto, DH Donovan Solano, RF Aristides Aquino, LF Jake Fraley, SS Jose barrero, C Austin Romine

Cubs: David Wade Ross

Reds: David Bell

Sunny. 81*, Humidity 58%, wind at 4 mph.  A hot and humid August Day.  “Beware, there is snakes in them corn.”