Cincinnati @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 6, 2016 ) Cincinnati 5, Chi. Cubs 3
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon is trying to strike a balance of rest versus rust as his team prepares for the postseason with weighty expectations. The National League Central-champion Cubs have struggled since clinching their first division crown since 2008, but they hope to get back to their winning ways when they host the last-place Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series beginning Monday.
Maddon gave his regulars some time off after clinching the division on Thursday but ran out the usual lineup for Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Milwaukee in which the Cubs were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Reds, who snapped a four-game skid with a 7-4 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday, are beginning a 10-game road trip. Cincinnati is 26-45 away from home this season, including a 2-4 record at Wrigley Field. Cubs starter Jason Hammel, who is 9-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 13 home starts, figures to be the odd man out of the rotation for the playoffs and could be pitching for a spot on the postseason roster.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati), CSN Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Tim Adleman (2-4, 4.21 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Jason Hammel (14-9, 3.60)
Adleman is winless in his last five starts dating to a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 19. The 28-year-old gave up four runs and three hits over five innings in a loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday, as he was hurt by three walks and a home run. Adelman is facing the Cubs for the first time.
Hammel has lost two straight starts and four of his last five, pitching to an 8.61 ERA over his last five outings. The 34-year-old gave up four runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings of a loss at St. Louis on Tuesday, allowing two home runs for the second straight start. Hammel is 3-1 with a 3.52 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) against Cincinnati and worked 12 scoreless frames over two wins versus the Reds in April.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Reds have allowed 239 home runs, tied with the 2001 Colorado Rockies for the most in National League history and two off the 1996 Detroit Tigers’ major-league record.
2. Cubs RF Jason Heyward has recorded three consecutive multi-hit performances, going 6-for-11 over that span.
3. Cincinnati 2B Brandon Phillips is 13-for-31 during his eight-game hitting streak but is just 6-for-25 with one extra-base hit versus Hammel.
PREDICTION: Cubs 4, Reds 3