Chicago will go on the road for the first time this season when it opens a three-game series at Cincinnati on Monday night. The Cubs blanked Milwaukee in a 4-0 final in their series opener before losing the next two games of the series. Cincinnati notched a series victory with a 3-1 win against Pittsburgh on Sunday after splitting the first two games against the Pirates.
Chicago opened the season with a 4-0 win over Milwaukee at Wrigley Field on Thursday, with Dansby Swanson driving in two runs in his first game with the club. The Cubs added two more runs in the third inning for all the damage that was done. They were unable to get anything going at the plate in their 3-1 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday before losing a 9-5 final on Sunday. Chicago held a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning before giving up eight unanswered runs over the next four frames. The Cubs scored three runs in the final three innings, but it was not enough to come back from the deficit.
.@PatrickWisdom5 crushes his second homer of the day!#DailyWisdom pic.twitter.com/XHKca5jCe8
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 2, 2023
They finished last year ranked No. 19 in the majors in team batting average (.238), so they are seeking an improved effort at the plate this year. This series could be an opportune time to showcase that improvement, as Cincinnati was No. 28 in team ERA last year (4.86). Left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly will start for the Cubs on Monday. He went 7-8 with a 3.47 ERA and 91 strikeouts last year, getting set for his tenth MLB season. Smyly allowed five runs on 10 hits across four innings in his final start of spring training, raising his Cactus League ERA to 6.06. His track record suggests he should be better than that during the regular season, though.
No House Advantage: Bet on player over/unders VS THE HOUSE to 21x your bet OR play in PICK 'EM contests against other people! Click here to get a 1st deposit match up to $100 1st w/ promocode WandW!