Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati Reds – Series Preview (October 3-5): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (73-86) move into the final series of 2022 on fire, having won seven in a row and 11 of their last 12 games. That highlights a 38-29 second half in which the pitching especially really hit its stride in spite of a series of injuries. It provides a little bit of optimism after a very bad beginning to the season that knocked Chicago out of playoff contention early.
After kind of a roundabout journey, the Cubs are basically at the mid-70’s win projection they had before the season. The emergence of young players like Nico Hoerner, Christopher Morel, Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson, and others has increased hope that next year will be a competitive one.
Willson Contreras offered a tearful goodbye to Wrigley Field this last weekend as he at least expects to move on in the offseason. The Cubs reportedly want to move in a different direction, but exactly what direction that is remains a big question mark. They have the financial flexibility and assets necessary to make trades if they want to improve the roster.
These final three games are not going to have any impact on those questions. David Ross‘s team has avoided a 90-loss season and now all that’s left is to play for pride. Beating the Reds is always fun, so might as well keep doing it.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, October 3 at 5:40pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Tuesday, October 4 at 5:40pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Wednesday, October 5 at 3:10pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 10/3 | Hayden Wesneski | 24 | R | 2.33 | 3-1 | 3.34 | 4.50 |
| Hunter Greene | 23 | R | 4.66 | 4-13 | 4.52 | 3.32 | |
| 10/4 | Javier Assad | 24 | R | 3.62 | 2-2 | 4.88 | 1.37 |
| Luis Cessa | 30 | R | 4.76 | 4-4 | 5.05 | 2.04 | |
| 10/5 | Adrian Sampson | 30 | R | 3.10 | 4-5 | 3.81 | 2.69 |
| Graham Ashcraft | 24 | R | 4.52 | 5-5 | 4.04 | 2.68 |
What to Watch For
- Nelson Velázquez had two triples and a double against the Reds and drove in five runs.
- Wesneski has given up just four runs in his three starts over 18.1 innings pitched.
- Seiya Suzuki has six hits in four games since returning from paternity leave.
- The Cubs are 10-6 against the Reds this season.
