The Cincinnati Reds (53-79, 62-69 RL, 64-63-4 O/U) and the Chicago Cubs (56-78, 68-66 RL, 58-65-11 O/U) resume a three-game NL Central series on Wednesday evening. The Reds give the nod to Mike Minor seeking his fourth win. The Cubs will send rookie Javier Assad to the mound. The Cubs lead the series by a 6-4 mark.
Mike Minor will make his 17th outing of the season. Minor was actually decent last time out, limiting the Cardinals to only two runs in 4.2 innings, leading to a no-decision in a game the Reds lost. The veteran left-hander is having a disastrous season but has been solid in two straight outings and enters with a 5.98 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP accompanied by a 3-10 record in 84.1 innings of action. Minor has yet to pitch against the Cubs this season and is 5-1 with a 5.27 ERA in seven career meetings.
The Reds have now won two out of their last three series with the only series loss in that span occurring against the Cardinals. They are in the early stages of a six-game road trip. They won their previous road series against the Nationals but only have 24 road wins all year.
Kyle Farmer has done some of his best wor k this season against the Cubs, driving in nine runs with a remarkable 1.1 OPS. The 23-year-old is having a productive season, collecting 59 RBIs accompanied by a .695 OPS. Farmer has zero RBIs in his last four clashes.
The Reds are averaging 4.25 runs per game, ranking them 20th overall. The pitching staff has logged a 4.77 team ERA, pegging them 28th in the big leagues.