Chicago @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 24, 2016 ) Chi. Cubs 9, Cincinnati 0

The Chicago Cubs may be providing a glimmer of hope to the National League after being unable to continue their best start to a season in over 100 years, but hope is about the only thing the Cincinnati Reds have had in their corner against their division rivals this campaign. Jake Arrieta will try to extend his team's recent mastery in this series Monday, when Chicago travels to Cincinnati for the opener of a three-game set.

Arrieta fired his second career no-hitter on April 21 in a 16-0 thrashing of the Reds as the Cubs won six of the seven meetings between the clubs that month during their 25-6 start, matching the club's best run to begin a season since the 1907 team won the first of back-to-back World Series titles. The Cubs have cooled off significantly since then (23-20), losing six of their last seven games, and even Arrieta has split his last four turns after capturing 20 decisions in a row. Although he has struggled to maintain his lofty standards recently, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has been otherworldly at night, going 14-0 with a 0.51 ERA in 17 outings under the lights since July 19. Cincinnati, which has been outscored by Chicago 60-20 this season, ended a four-game losing streak with Sunday's 3-0 home win against San Diego, and tries its luck in the opener with Dan Straily, who got the start in the Reds' only win over the Cubs in 2016 - a 13-5 rout two days after Arrieta's no-hitter.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jake Arrieta (11-2, 1.74 ERA) vs. Reds RH Dan Straily (4-4, 3.83)
Arrieta continued to struggle with his command in Wednesday's setback against St. Louis, taking the loss despite yielding two runs - one earned - on four hits and a season high-tying four walks over five frames. The outing marked the fifth time in his last 12 turns the former fifth-round draft pick has walked four following a season in which he only did so once in 33 outings. Including his no-hitter just over two months ago, Arrieta is 4-2 with a 2.81 ERA in six career starts against the Reds.
Straily faced the minimum in five of his six frames Wednesday but gave up all four of the runs he allowed in the contest on two hits, two walks and hit batsman during the fourth inning of his loss at Texas. While the 27-year-old Marshall product fell to 2-4 with a 5.22 ERA on the road, he is 2-0, 2.60 in eight games (seven starts) at home. Straily made his second start of the season against the Cubs on April 23, yielding three runs on four hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision.

WALK-OFFS
1. Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo is only 4-for-27 against the Reds this season, but all four of his hits are home runs and all of his eight RBIs versus Cincinnati have come at Great American Ball Park.
2. Reds RF Jay Bruce, who ranks second in the NL with 58 RBIs, has knocked in only one run in his last eight games against the Cubs dating back to last season.
3. Chicago 3B Kris Bryant is 8-for-19 at Cincinnati in 2016 and 11-for-29 with four home runs and 11 RBIs against the Reds overall this season.

PREDICTION: Cubs 5, Reds 1