Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds April 3 Betting Preview

The Chicago Cubs will take on the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night for an interesting NL Central matchup. While both teams are slotted to be two of the worst in the MLB this season, Chicago made some impressive moves during the offseason, and they’re hopeful that those moves can help them out in the near future. 

The Reds come into this one after an opening weekend that they were hoping for, taking two of three against a below-average Pittsburgh Pirates team. If Cincinnati can continue to win, who knows what can happen in the Central, as it’s typically a below-average division outside of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Chicago comes into this one at -124 on the moneyline and -1.5 on the run line for +135 odds.

Can Chicago Find Momentum?

The Chicago Cubs had a somewhat disappointing start to the season, dropping two of three against the Milwaukee Brewers. While it’s not the end of the world to lose on opening weekend, the Cubs were hopeful that some of their offseason moves could’ve paid off early. If they want a chance of winning the division or sneaking into the playoffs via the Wild Card, they need to win games early.

Drew Smyly is going to be on the mound for Chicago, and that should be good news for them. He’s done well in 52 plate appearances against the Reds, holding hitters to a .208 average and an exit velocity of 87.2 MPH. The advanced numbers are impressive, too.

Smyly has held hitters to a .277 wOBA, .253 xwOBA, .185 XBA, and an xSLG of .326. He also has a strikeout percentage of 25%, which is just above the league average.

The question for Chicago is if they’re going to be able to do enough to get the job done on the offensive side of the baseball.

Reds Could Be Better Than Expected

Connor Overton is getting the start for the Cincinnati Reds, and he’s only had 10 plate appearances in his career against the Cubs. He will come into this one with an impressive 10 PA sample size, limiting hitters to a .265 wOBA, .246 xwOBA, 88.7 average exit velocity, and a .260 xBA.

The Reds had an impressive opening weekend against the Pirates, and while that’s tough to judge much, it’s good for them to show some signs of progression with their younger guys. They have some young talent that will be the focal point of this team in the future, and they need those guys to produce at a high level. 

If the bats can continue impressing, they should be in for a good future and a better year than last season.

Although Chicago had a disappointing start to the season, taking them might not be a bad idea. They’re the better team on paper and if they do what they can, they should find a way to win this game. Drew Smyly is a decent arm who should be able to quiet the Reds lineup.