NEWSLETTER
Later today, and throughout the weekend, the Cubs and Reds will do battle at Wrigley Field.
This will be their second series-matchup of the year, the first falling in favor of Cincinnati – though only barely, as all three games were decided by 2 or fewer runs, and the Cubs (21 runs) were just narrowly outscored by the Reds (23) overall.
Theoretically, this is the Cubs last “easy” series for quite a while – their next 17 games are against the Padres (6), Giants (4), Cardinals (3), and Mets (4) – but the Reds aren’t actually all that easy of an opponent. Nick Castellanos is one of the hottest players in baseball at the moment, Jesse Winker has been on fire all year, and Luis Castillo’s second best start of the year (his only other good start, frankly) came against the Cubs (he pitches tomorrow). This series is at Wrigley Field, so that likely helps, but I wouldn’t call it a gimmie, not by any stretch.
The Reds will be eager to climb back in this race, and right now, the Cubs might be the team to beat in the NL Central.
We’re Going Streaking
Let’s set the standings aside for now, and just enjoy the fact that the Chicago Cubs (27-22) have won 8 of their past 10 games, including four in a row, en route to a 15-7 month of May. June will feature much tougher opponents, but that’s why this is such a nice foundation to work off. The Cincinnati Reds (22-26), by contrast, have not been quite so lucky. Since taking 2 of 3 from the Cubs at the start of May, they’ve gone 8-11, losing 7 of their last 10, and are now four games below .500.
Game Times and Broadcasts Info
• Friday, May 28th at 1:20 CT on MARQ, MLBN, 670 The Score
• Saturday, May 29th at 1:20 CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
• Sunday, May 30th at 1:20 CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Vladimir Gutierrez (R) vs. Adbert Alzolay (R)
Game 2: Luis Castillo (R) vs. Zach Davies (R)
Game 3: TBD vs. Jake Arrieta (R)
Chicago Cubs
• C – Willson Contreras
• 1B – Anthony Rizzo(?)
• 2B – Eric Sogard
• 3B – David Bote
• SS – Javy Baez
• LF – Joc Pederson
• CF – Ian Happ
• RF – Kris Bryant
Unavailable: Trevor Megill, Jake Marisnick, Alec Mills, Jason Heyward, Justin Steele, Matt Duffy, Nico Hoerner, Rowan Wick, Jonathan Holder, Austin Romine
Cincinnati Reds
• C – Tucker Barnhart
• 1B – Tyler Stephenson
• 2B – Max Schrock
• 3B – Eugenio Suarez
• SS – Kyle Farmer
• LF – Jesse Winker
• CF – Tyler Naquin
• RF – Nick Castellanos
Unavailable: Aristides Aquino, Joey Votto, Mike Moustakas, Nick Senzel, Wade Miley, Jeff Hoffman, Brandon Bailey, Michael Lorenzon
By the Numbers:
Run Differential:
Cubs: +22 (9th)
Reds: -21 (20th)
Runs Scored Per Game:
Cubs: 4.61 (12th)
Reds: 4.96 (6th)
Runs Allowed Per Game:
Cubs: 4.16 (12th)
Reds: 5.40 (29th)
Keep An Eye Out For …
Nick Castellanos. I know it stinks, but we’ve got to acknowledge it: Castellanos is on absolute fire right now. For the season, he’s slashing .355/.413/.657 (188 wRC+) with 12 homers. His 2.7 WAR makes him the second most productive position player this year, tops in the NL and ahead of Kris Bryant. But if all that wasn’t enough for you, his last two weeks are even better: .476/.551/.810 (264 wRC+). I mean … wow.
And yet, he’s not even the hottest bat on the Reds. That would be Jesse Winker, who’s slashing .359/.415/.665 (191 wRC+) overall, second only to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in terms of offense-only. But don’t worry, unlike Castellanos, Winker has been ice cold over the last two weeks: .333/.382/.686 (187 wRC+). Yeah, I’d keep it away from these two as much as possible.
Can Alzolay go the distance? Watching Adbert Alzolay develop right in front of our eyes has been an absolute treat. He took his early season, short-outing dominance and has added some length, going 6.0+ innings in three of his last five games. The Reds, however, will be a real test. They’ve scored the 6th most runs per game this season, and also have the fourth highest overall offensive rating against right-handed pitching (110 wRC+) – second in the NL to the Dodgers.
How do the Cubs mange without … everyone? I don’t really have an answer for you here, but playing without Nico Hoerner, Matt Duffy, Jake Marisnick, and Jason Heyward has not been fun. Hopefully, Anthony Rizzo’s back starts feeling better very soon. The Cubs probably can’t keep up the momentum without so many key contributors.
