Cincinnati @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 11, 2019 ) Chi. Cubs 6, Cincinnati 3

The Chicago Cubs look to continue their offensive surge when they host the Cincinnati Reds on Monday for the opener of their three-game series but may have to do it without another of their most productive hitters. The Cubs own a one-game lead for the National League's second wild card after scoring 47 runs en route to a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh over the weekend, but Anthony Rizzo (team-high 93 RBIs) left Sunday’s 16-6 victory with an ankle injury.

Chicago’s Javier Baez (29 homers, 85 RBIs) likely is lost for the season with a broken thumb and initial X-rays on Rizzo’s ankle did not show a fracture, but he needed to be helped off the field after going 5-for-8 with six RBIs in the series and will undergo an MRI on Monday. Cincinnati’s Kevin Gausman will try to cool off the Cubs’ bats while Cole Hamels hopes for the same support from Nicholas Castellanos, who went 7-for-12 with five doubles, a homer and six RBIs in the series against the Pirates. The Reds used three home runs to knock off Arizona 3-1 on Sunday, improving to 3-3 on their nine-game road trip, and are 9-7 against Chicago this season - including a 3-3 record at Wrigley Field. Eugenio Suarez launched a pair of shots in Sunday’s victory to extend his hitting streak to four games (6-for-15, three blasts) and is batting .381 with eight homers and 19 RBIs in 16 games versus the Cubs this year.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cincinnati), NBCS Chicago

PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Kevin Gausman (3-8, 5.83 ERA) vs. Cubs LH Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.89)

Gausman makes his first start for Cincinnati after posting a 4.02 ERA in 11 relief appearances since being claimed off waivers from Atlanta. The 28-year-old LSU product struggled in his 16 starts with the Braves, recording just three wins and registering a 6.19 ERA while yielding 92 hits in 80 innings. Ben Zobrist is 8-for-13 with four doubles and a homer versus Gausman, who owns an 11.70 ERA in three career outings (two starts) against the Cubs.

Hamels registered six strikeouts while permitting one run on four hits and four walks over 4 1/3 innings at San Diego on Wednesday, but he was pulled as his pitch count rose to 91. The 35-year-old Californian has completed at least six frames in just two of his last nine starts and recorded just one victory in his last 11 outings. Rookie Aristides Aquino is 2-for-2 with a homer and a double against Hamels, who is 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA in two starts versus the Reds in 2019.

WALK-OFFS

1. Aquino, who is 7-for-15 with five homers in four games against the Cubs this year, is just 9-for-53 this month after batting .320 with 14 homers in August.

2. Chicago’s Kris Bryant went deep twice on Sunday to join Ron Santo and Aramis Ramirez as the only 3Bs in franchise history to record multiple 30-homer seasons.

3. Cincinnati 1B Joey Votto, who is batting .324 lifetime at Wrigley Field, was rested Sunday but is 7-for-17 with a homer and three RBIs during his four-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Reds 6, Cubs 3