Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds – Series Preview (May 30-June 1): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (35-21) completed a three-game sweep of the Rockies at Wrigley Field to move a season-high 14 above .500 on the season. That was a much different series than the one they had previously played in Cincinnati, with a trio of low-scoring affairs. Chicago scored only nine runs, but the pitching was superb, allowing only five Colorado tallies in the three victories.
The North Siders now get to face the Reds for the second time in less than a week when they come to the Friendly Confines for a three-game set starting Friday afternoon. Terry Francona‘s team won two out of three in Kansas City against the Royals after dropping the series to the Cubs last weekend.
Cincinnati (28-29) jumped out to big leads in all three games against Chicago at Great American Ball Park. The road team roared back against what had been a very reliable Reds bullpen to grab a pair of victories in the late innings and score 28 total runs in the series.
The Cubs will have to face talented left-handed starters Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo for a second time this weekend, but avoid ace Hunter Greene. The Reds will undoubtedly have the memories of the implosions in the previous series in the back of their minds if they find themselves ahead in the final innings this weekend.
TJ Friedl and Austin Hays had a lot of success against Chicago pitching, especially early in the games. Elly De La Cruz is currently on a six-game hitting streak and is still the most dangerous hitter on the Reds roster.
The Cubs can make things easier on themselves if they keep Cincinnati quiet in the early frames. The conditions at Wrigley have not been conducive to huge comebacks, but they have demonstrated they can do major damage to the Reds ‘pen. This is a chance to put a pesky opponent well out of the division race early.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, May 30 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.
- Saturday, May 31 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.
- Sunday, June 1 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 5/30 | Colin Rea | 34 | R | 3.28 | 3-1 | 3.65 | 2.86 |
| Andrew Abbott | 25 | L | 1.77 | 4-0 | 3.46 | 2.65 | |
| 5/31 | Ben Brown | 25 | R | 6.39 | 3–3 | 3.40 | 3.44 |
| Nick Lodolo | 27 | L | 3.39 | 4–4 | 3.67 | 4.58 | |
| 6/1 | Jameson Taillon | 33 | R | 3.86 | 4-3 | 5.12 | 4.25 |
| Nick Martinez | 34 | R | 3.48 | 3–5 | 3.33 | 3.46 |
What to Watch For
- Seiya Suzuki was named NL Player of the Week due in large part to his performance against the Reds.
- The Cubs bullpen only allowed a single run in the Rockies series.
- Rea had his worst outing of the season in Cincinnati, giving up six runs in five innings.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-12 against Colorado, but the one hit was a home run.
