Reds at Cubs 6/17/19 - MLB Picks & Predictions

Historic Wrigley Field will play host to a Wednesday afternoon clash between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs. Cincinnati took Monday’s series opener by three runs, but lost on Tuesday in ten innings by a 4-3 final score. Eugenio Suarez connected on his 23rd home run of the season for the Reds, who are six games below .500 overall.

Twenty-nine year old righty Sonny Gray (5-5 3.42 ERA) has pitched great in his first season with the Reds. Through 97 plus innings, Gray has struck out 112 batters and owns a solid 1.18 WHIP. The Chicago Cubs are leading the NL Central Division, but have been plagued by mental mistakes and inconsistent play. On Tuesday, Kyle Schwarber capped a comeback from a first inning thee-run deficit with a walk off home run. Kris Bryant added his 19th round tripper for the Cubs, who hold a 2.5 game lead over Milwaukee for first place.

Thirty-two year old righty Yu Darvish (2-4 4.72 ERA) must pitch well for the Cubs to win the NL Central Division title. In his last start, Darvish struck out eight batters across six scoreless innings during a 4-3 victory versus Pittsburgh.