The Cincinnati Reds (60-96, 73-81 RL, 71-78-5 O/U) battle the Chicago Cubs (70-86, 80-75 RL, 64-80-11 O/U) in the first of a three-game series on Friday afternoon. The Reds will give the nod to Graham Ashcraft. The Cubs will reply with Adrian Sampson. The Cubs lead the season series 7-6.
The Reds will give Graham Ashcraft the nod to begin the series. Ashcraft made his return from the IL last weekend and struggled, allowing four runs in four innings against the Brewers, and was tagged with the loss to dip to 5-4. The rookie right-hander is having an encouraging season, recording a 4.18 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP in 97 innings of work. Ashcraft has not fared well against the Cubs, squandered 11 runs in his two meetings spanning only 8.2 innings.
The Reds were dealt another sweep, losing all three games in Pittsburgh this week, scoring only seven runs in the series. The squad is glad to have a disastrous season end. They were in a complete rebuild and there were a few bright spots. The squad is 3-7 in their last ten clashes.
Jonathan India has been inconsistent recently. He only has three RBIs in his last ten games. The 25-year-old second baseman won Rookie of the Year in 2021 and has 39 RBIs and a .710 OPS in 98 games this year. India has collected four RBIs against the Cubs this season.
The Reds are posting an average of 4.08 runs per game, ranking them 22nd overall. The pitching staff has logged a 4.82 team ERA, pegging them 28th in the big leagues.