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The Chicago Cubs will host the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon. The Reds handled the Cubs 7-1 on Wednesday to improve to 54-80. Chicago is now 57-79 after losing the eighth of their last 10 contests.
"W at Wrigley" - Reds
Chicago has been a bad team while home, holding just a 29-39 record at Wrigley Field. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has been bad on the road this year, sporting an awful 25-41 away record. Neither team has much to play for other than pride at this point in the season.
Adrian Sampson will be on the hill Thursday for the Cubs. He is 1-5 with a 3.95 ERA over 13 starts. His ERA is slightly higher as a starter, especially due to his previous poor performances.
The Reds lineup he'll have to manage is averaging five runs per game in their previous seven, significantly higher than normal. The Chicago right-hander has been subpar at home this year, carrying a 5.29 ERA at Wrigley Field, so he'll look to lower that figure on Thursday.
Sampson did toss a short outing against the Reds last month in a 7-2 win, but his performance was pretty pedestrian. Cincinnati has been subpar on the road this year offensively compared to when they're home, but their recent high-scoring games could change that.
Cincinnati will send out Luis Cessa for Thursday's matchup. He has a 3-2 record with a 5.18 ERA, and he'll be making just his fifth start. Cessa has mostly featured in relief, but he'll be starting against a lineup that scores the eighth-fewest runs per game. The Cubs were held to just one run yesterday, but it might be harder to match this as today's game will feature a lot of Reds relievers.
Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Match Details
Fixture: Cincinnati Reds @ Chicago Cubs
Date & Time: Thursday, September 8, 2:20 p.m. EDT
Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Betting Odds
Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Betting Prediction
This will be the 12th meeting of the year between these National League Central opponents. So far, the Cubs lead 7-5, but these are two very evenly matched ballclubs. All four of their last meetings have seen eight or more runs scored, so expect the bats to show up this afternoon. Back the over here as it's gone that way more often than not for Chicago recently.
Prediction: Over 8 (-115)
Lucas Abrenica's Last 30 Days' MLB Picks are: 195-154-11 (+225.7 Units)
