Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds – Series Preview (September 6-8): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (56-78) just finished a stretch of 18 games against teams with winning records. They started strong at home before struggling on the road and ending up with a 7-11 mark over that run, not bad given how poorly they were playing earlier in the season. The rest of the schedule is much less taxing, with only six of the last 28 contests against playoff teams.
Nine of those games are against the team that comes to Wrigley for three this week, the Cincinnati Reds (53-79). Cincinnati has continued to struggle as they play out the string on another lost season. They weren’t exactly world-beaters when healthy, but injuries to Joey Votto and Mike Moustakas have further limited the lineup.
Rookie outfielder TJ Friedl has been very good since being called back up from Triple-A, hitting four homers in his last seven games. The Reds’ pitching staff is one of the worst in baseball after being depleted by trades and injuries, though the Cubs have seen more than their fair share of that same attrition.
This is a chance for the Cubs to pick up some wins and, ideally, for their young hitters to build up some stats against an inferior opponent. While the results don’t matter much at this point, it’s more enjoyable to win ballgames and build a sense of confidence.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Tuesday, September 6 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Wednesday, September 7 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Thursday, September 8 at 1:20pm CT on YouTube.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/6 | Wade Miley | 35 | L | 2.84 | 1-0 | 3.27 | 1.50 |
| Justin Dunn | 26 | R | 4.63 | 1-2 | 6.93 | 1.90 | |
| 9/7 | Javier Assad | 25 | R | 0.90 | 0-0 | 3.72 | 1.00 |
| Mike Minor | 34 | L | 5.98 | 3-10 | 5.96 | 2.16 | |
| 9/8 | Adrian Sampson | 30 | R | 3.95 | 1-5 | 3.72 | 2.84 |
| Luis Cessa | 30 | R | 5.18 | 3-2 | 5.48 | 2.00 |
What to Watch For
- The Cubs offense was in a real funk against the Cardinals; they were shut out twice during a three-game sweep.
- Justin Steele was placed on the injured list Monday, so the pitching matchups may change for this series.
- Miley is finally back after a series of setbacks with his shoulder.
- Hayden Wesneski has been called up and may make his MLB debut in relief of Miley Tuesday evening.