The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds have piled up the runs over the first two games of their series, scoring 29 in total while splitting victories.
My Cubs vs. Reds predictions expect the offenses to shine once again in the rubber match, with star lefty Kyle Tucker playing a prominent role.
Let’s take a closer look with my May 25 MLB picks.
Cubs vs Reds prediction
My Cubs vs Reds best bet: Kyle Tucker Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI (-142 at Caesars)
Kyle Tucker has feasted on left-handed pitchers, hitting an impressive .311 on the season. He is a very tough out.
That’s bad news for Cincinnati Reds starter Nick Lodolo, who has had a miserable time slowing left-handed batters down. He has held right-handers to a putrid .219 average, but lefties have touched him up for a whopping .378 average on the season.
The splits are very much working in the favor of Tucker. It’s also worth noting Tucker excels against Lodolo’s pitch mix.
Lodolo throws the four-seam fastball, curveball, sinker, and changeup each between 22% and 29% of the time. It’s a very balanced distribution.
Isolating those four pitches thrown by left-handed arms, Tucker is hitting .385 on the season with a .490 xwOBA, 24.2% barrel rate, and 63.6% hard hit rate. Those numbers are superstar-like across the board.
Also working in Tucker’s favor is he’s directly surrounded by hitters who’ve excelled against left-handed pitching.
Ian Happ, who is expected to hit leadoff, and No. 3 batter Seiya Suzuki are both hitting .325 or better against against left-handed pitchers throwing the four pitches in Lodolo’s arsenal.
There should be plenty of traffic on the base paths for Tucker to cash in, whether he’s driving a runner home or scoring himself.
Caesars QuickPick: Our Cubs vs Reds same-game parlay (SGP)
Kyle Tucker Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI
Ian Happ Over 0.5 Hits
T.J. Friedl Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI
Ian Happ is hitting .325 on the season against left-handers throwing any of the four pitches in Lodolo’s arsenal.
While Happ hasn’t generated a lot of hard-hit balls, he’s sprayed the ball around all over the diamond and shown a knack for finding space.
Happ has recorded at least one hit in 67% of his games this season and is 4-for-13 with multiple extra base hits in his career when facing off against Lodolo.
Going the other way, TJ Friedl is in a good spot to make some noise for the Reds. Chicago Cubs SP Ben Brown has allowed a sky-high .315 batting average and 15.3% barrel rate against left-handed batters this season.
Expected to hit leadoff, the left-handed hitting Friedl will get as many at bats as anybody to take advantage of a matchup in which the splits are working heavily in his favor.
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Cubs vs Reds odds
Cubs vs Reds live odds
Cubs vs Reds opening odds
- Moneyline: Chicago -110 | Cincinnati -110
- Run line: Chicago -1.5 (+135) | Cincinnati +1.5 (-160)
- Over/Under: Over 9 (-115) | Under 9 (-105)
Odds courtesy of Caesars.
Cubs vs Reds trend
Ian Happ has six hits over his last five games against Cincinnati. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Reds.
How to watch Cubs vs Reds and game info
| Location | Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH |
| Date | Sunday, 5-25-2025 |
| First pitch | 1:40 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB Network, MARQ, FanDuel Sports Network-Ohio |
| Cubs starting pitcher | Ben Brown (3-3, 5.44 ERA) |
| Reds starting pitcher | Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.22 ERA) |
Cubs vs Reds latest injuries
Cubs vs Reds weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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