Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati Reds – Series Preview (August 13-14): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (46-65) defeated the Reds (44-67) in the Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa Thursday night, drawing the most viewers for any MLB game this season. Chicago jumped out to an early lead and used an excellent bullpen performance to preserve Drew Smyly’s excellent start, and now they head to Cincinnati for a more traditional two-game set this weekend.
Both teams are firmly in rebuilding mode in 2022 with winning and losing not standing as a high priority. The Reds have been playing much better in the second half after a very bad beginning to the year, although they are currently on a four-game losing streak.
With Brandon Drury traded and Tyler Stevenson injured, the offense in Cincinnati is awful. The pitching was suspect before ace Luis Castillo headed to the Mariners and it certainly did not improve after. The Cubs should be favorites here, which will be the case in a lot of their games down the stretch due to a weak schedule.
The focus for Chicago continues to be on the young talented players that are performing well and starting to make people hope that playoff contention is just a year away.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Saturday, August 13 at 5:40pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Sunday, August 14 at 12:40pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 8/13 | Adrian Sampson | 30 | R | 3.83 | 0-3 | 3.71 | 3.27 |
| Graham Ashcraft | 24 | R | 3.94 | 5-2 | 4.02 | 2.74 | |
| 8/14 | Keegan Thompson | 27 | R | 3.36 | 9-5 | 4.04 | 2.77 |
| Justin Dunn | 26 | R | 5.79 | 0-1 | 6.98 | 1.00 |
What to Watch For
- Nick Madrigal has five hits in his last eight at-bats as he finally locks in at the plate.
- Ian Happ also is hitting the ball hard the last few games.
- The Cubs actually have a 5-3 advantage in the season series with the Reds.