This Monday the (72-86) Chicago Cubs are the (60-98) Cincinnati Reds will play game four of this six-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 6:40 PM EST inside the Great American Ball Park. The last time that these two teams matched up, the Reds ended up taking two of three games at home. The Cubs were able to win the first two games of this series, though.
The Chicago Cubs are coming into this one after sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies. Chicago looked great on the mound, as they held the Phillies to just one run in the first game and they shut them out in game three. They will need to stay hot on the mound if they want to challenge the Reds on the road.
The Cincinnati Reds are entering this one after getting swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds struggled to hit, as they only scored four combined runs in the final two games. They will need their bats to heat up if they want to challenge the Cubs near the end of the regular season.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Chicago ups are currently 9-1 in their last 10 but are still unlikely to make the postseason in 2022. They are still 13 games back from the Philadelphia Phillies for the third and final NL Wild Card spot. Chicago is also stuck in third place in the NL Central, as they trail the first-place St. Louis Cardinals by 20 games.
At the plate, the Cubs are scoring 4.03 runs per game and they are hitting .239 as a team. This is the 24th most runs scored per game and the 19th highest overall team batting average. They have dealt with injuries all season and they have also struggled with men in scoring position. Chicago has also had issues consistently making contact with the ball, which has made it much more difficult to score. They have realized that they don't have as much power inside of their lineup, as they originally thought. Chicago is averaging .98 bombs per game, which is the 19th most in the MLB. I would also expect the Cubs to stay aggressive once they have reached base safely. They have already swiped 106 bases this season, which is the fourth most in the league.
According to MLB.com, the Cubs will be starting Hayden Wesneski on the mound, as he is 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA and a .96 WHIP. In his last start, he pitched for 5.0 innings and he only gave up one earned run to the Phillies. He is also 2-1 on the road this season with a 2.18 ERA. Unfortunately, the Cub's bullpen hasn't been as great, as they are allowing the 22nd most runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are surrendering 4.61 runs per game, which is the 21st most in the league.