Chicago Cubs (72-63, second in the NL Central) vs. Cincinnati Reds (70-67, third in the NL Central)
Cincinnati; Saturday, 6:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Javier Assad (3-2, 2.96 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 60 strikeouts); Reds: Andrew Abbott (8-4, 3.35 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 99 strikeouts)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -115, Reds -104; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds play the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
Cincinnati is 70-67 overall and 32-35 at home. The Reds have a 49-26 record in games when they record eight or more hits.
Chicago has a 35-32 record on the road and a 72-63 record overall. Cubs hitters are batting a collective .252, which ranks eighth in the NL.
The matchup Saturday is the 12th time these teams meet this season. The Reds have a 6-5 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Hunter Renfroe leads Cincinnati with 19 home runs while slugging .429. Matt McLain is 9-for-40 with three home runs and six RBI over the past 10 games.
Cody Bellinger has 23 doubles, a triple and 22 home runs while hitting .320 for the Cubs. Ian Happ is 13-for-38 with five doubles and three home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Reds: 4-6, .216 batting average, 4.14 ERA, outscored by nine runs
Cubs: 7-3, .231 batting average, 2.62 ERA, outscored opponents by 16 runs
INJURIES: Reds: Fernando Cruz: 10-Day IL (covid-19), Ben Lively: 10-Day IL (covid-19), Graham Ashcraft: day-to-day (toe), Hunter Greene: 10-Day IL (covid-19), Matt McLain: 10-Day IL (oblique), Alex Young: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Joey Votto: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Kevin Newman: 10-Day IL (oblique), Jonathan India: 10-Day IL (heel), Curt Casali: 10-Day IL (foot), Nick Lodolo: 60-Day IL (calf), Reiver Sanmartin: 60-Day IL (elbow), Connor Overton: 60-Day IL (elbow), Justin Dunn: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Vladimir Gutierrez: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Cubs: Michael Fulmer: 15-Day IL (forearm), Marcus Stroman: 15-Day IL (rib), Brad Boxberger: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Hughes: 60-Day IL (knee), Nick Burdi: 60-Day IL (appendicitis), Codi Heuer: 60-Day IL (elbow), Ethan Roberts: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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