The Chicago Cubs (73-86, 82-76 RL, 65-81-12 O/U) will battle the Cincinnati Reds (60-99, 74-83 RL, 72-79-6 O/U) in the second of a three-game NL Central series on Tuesday evening. The Cubs will have Javier Assad on the hill. The Reds will reply with Luis Cessa. The Cubs lead the season series 10-6.
The Cubs will have Javier Assad make the start in this one. Assad was outstanding in his previous start, recording five shutout innings against the Phillies and earned the win to even his season record at 2-2. The rookie was solid in his first few big league outings but struggled in September and enters with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP in 32.1 innings pitched. Assad allowed four runs in 5.1 innings in his lone meeting against the Reds in a game the Cubs lost.
Chicago is flourishing down the final stretch. They have won four consecutive series and nine out of their last ten games due to stellar pitching. They swept this Reds team on the weekend, holding them to three runs. The Cubs are 8-2 in their last ten road bouts.
Willson Contreras has posted a .370 average and a dazzling 1.3 OPS against the Reds this sea son. The 30-year-old catcher is having another productive season, clubbing 21 homers with 54 RBIs and an .803 OPS. Contreras has cooled down, posting zero RBIs in his last six games.
The Cubs are scoring an average of 4.02 runs per game, ranking them 23rd. The pitching staff has filed a 4.03 team ERA, placing them 21st in the big leagues.