Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/01/2023

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  MARQ

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +130, Cubs -155; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +130, Cubs -150; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Reds +130, Cubs -155; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Cincinnati Reds:  58-49 (1st place, NL Central)

Chicago Cubs:  53-52 (3rd place, NL Central)

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Cincinnati Reds:  7-3 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  8-2 last 10

The Reds are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 58-49 record overall and have a road record of 30-23. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Cubs on Tuesday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .745 OPS. Rookie pitcher Andrew Abbott is their starting pitcher on Monday while Ben Lively is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 4-6 with a 3.76 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 1 HR, and 0 BB with 3 Ks on 8 hits through 6.2 IP against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Cubs are entering this series off a loss but won their 4-game series against the St Louis Cardinals 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 53-52 record overall and have a home record of 27-26. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Reds on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 11th in the MLB with a .741 OPS. Marcus Stroman is their starting pitcher on Monday while Justin Steele is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 11-3 with a 2.87 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 3 BB with 4 strikeouts on 5 hits through 6 innings played against the St Louis Cardinals.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have been a really up and down team this year as they are sitting right around the .500 mark but lately they have been really hot as they are winning a lot of their games. They were on a long win streak that ended over the weekend but they will be looking to bounce back at home here and will be taking this series against the NL Central leaders very seriously as they are now in a position to be in the playoff race. The Reds have also been rolling lately as they have a really good offense that has been putting up a ton of runs in their games and they also lead the NL Central for the time being. They Reds have not had good pitching this season though, they will have Lively on the mound here and he hasn't been bad at all but the Cubs offense has been really hot lately with the number of runs they have been putting up in their games and they are going to take advantage of the scoring opportunities they get at home here. The Cubs also have their ace Steele on the mound and he has been lights out all season as he has not only been pitching well lately but also rarely has a start where he allows more than 3 runs. He is going to have no problem shutting down this Reds lineup as hot as they have been and the Cubs can take advantage of the pitching matchup in this home game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game.

Reds Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, August 1, 2023 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Cubs 3 Reds 1.

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Cincinnati Reds: 58-49 (+21.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 38-39 (+13.3 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. BEN LIVELY is 8-2 UNDER as an underdog of +100 to +150 and 11-3 UNDER against division opponents.

Chicago Cubs: 34-38 (-4.7 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 44-44 (-9.3 units) on the moneyline at home with a money line of -100 to -150. JUSTIN STEELE  is 6-3 UNDER as a favorite of -125 to -175. 

Cincinnati Reds:  J. India (2B) Mid Aug - Heel. R. Sanmartin (SP) out for season - Elbow. N. Lodolo (SP) Late Aug - Calf. H. Greene (SP) Prob Aug 20 - Hip. T. Antone (RP) Mid Aug - Elbow. C. Legumina (SP) Mid Aug - Shoulder. C. Casali (C) Early Aug - Foot. V. Gutierrez (SP) Early Aug - Elbow. J. Dunn (SP) Mid Sept - Shoulder. C. Overton (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  B. Boxberger (RP) Mid Aug - Forearm. N. Burdi (RP) Early Aug - Appendix. B. Hughes (RP) out for season - Knee. C. Heuer (RP) out for season - Elbow. E. Roberts (RP) out for season - Elbow.

“It’s big-time for us. It keeps us going and gives us that edge to keep fighting.” - Graham Ashcraft after their win against the LA Dodgers in their game on Sunday.

“I thought I made some pretty good pitches. Sometimes you've just got to tip your cap.” - Kyle Hendricks after their loss against the Cardinals in their game on Sunday.

Elly De La Cruz (S) SS

TJ Friedl (L) CF

Matt McLain (R) 2B

Jake Fraley (L) RF

Spencer Steer (R) 3B

Joey Votto (L) DH

Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R) 1B

Tyler Stephenson (R) C

Will Benson (L) LF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Cody Bellinger (L) CF

Yan Gomes (R) DH

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Christopher Morel (R) LF

Trey Mancini (R) 1B

Miguel Amaya (R) C

Nick Madrigal (R) 3B

Batting Average:  Matt McLain (.305)

Hits:  Spencer Steer (103)

Home Runs:  Spencer Steer (15)

RBI:  Jake Fraley (62)

Stolen Bases:  Jake Fraley (18)

Wins:  Ian Gibaut (8)

Saves:  Alexis Diaz (31)

ERA:  Ricky Karcher (0.00)

Batting Average:  Cody Bellinger (.314)

Hits:  Nico Hoerner (112)

Home Runs:  Patrick Wisdom (18)

RBI:  Nico Hoerner (57)

Stolen Bases:  Nico Hoerner (25)

Wins:  Justin Steele (11)

Saves:  Adbert Alzolay (12)

ERA:  Daniel Palencia (2.16)

Managers:

Cincinnati Reds: David Bell (5th season)

Chicago Cubs: David Ross (4th season)