Cincinnati Reds host the Chicago Cubs in a division showdown

The Reds find themselves in an early 1-2 hole with the Cubs coming to town.

It’s safe to say payback is on the Chicago Cubs mind in 2020 as far as the Cincinnati Reds are concerned. Last season the Reds were victorious 11 times in their 19 meetings and, in the process, played a prominent role in the Cubbies missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 campaign.

Not only were the Reds a major thorn in the Cubs side, but bad luck also played a factor in failing to live up to their lofty 2019 expectations. The Cubs Pythagorean record last season was 90-72, a full six games better than what their final record showed. If the Pythagorean held true to form, the Cubs would have made another postseason appearance.

Both the Reds and Cubs shared a common enemy throughout the 2019 season and that was the inability to win one-run games. As Reds Country knows all too well, one-run contests were a constant source of frustration in the Queen City.  The Reds finished 24-33 in those games, while the Cubs had an even worse winning percentage going just 19-27 in tight contests.

However, there will be one significant new face in the visitors’ dugout Monday night. Gone is former skipper Joe Maddon who led the Cubs to their first World Series title in more than a century. The man responsible for completing the lineup card now is former Reds catcher David Ross. It’s going to be an interesting season on Chicago’s North Side.

Perennial MVP candidates highlight a deep Cubs lineup

You know the names. Rizzo. Bryant. Baez. Over the last several years these players have dominated the National League Central and have become the most dangerous trio within the division. However, it could be the final go-around for this bunch.

Third baseman Kris Bryant will hit free agency following the season. Due to the sometimes acrimonious relationship between the former MVP and the Cubs front office, it’s a very real possibility Bryant will be wearing a different uniform next year. A trade later this season may not be off the table entirely.

As far as 2020 is concerned, the biggest splash the Cubs made in the offseason was in the dugout with David Ross. As incomprehensible as it seems, the Cubs front office has been crying poor the past couple of years and have made modest, at best, additions to the club, while allowing excellent talent to leave the club.

Following the 2019 campaign, the Cubs saw both outfielder Nick Castellanos and pitcher Cole Hamels depart via free agency. The North Siders have added former Cleveland All-Star Jason Kipnis and Milwaukee bullpen arm, Jeremy Jeffress, for depth.

However, don’t sleep on the Cubs. This is still a lineup that features former All-Stars at five different positions. There’s no doubt they will have a say in who captures the division the crown. The Cubs enter Great American Ball Park 2-1 following their season-opening series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.

Previewing the pitching matchups: Reds vs Cubs

Reds left-hander Wade Miley has a hard act to follow in his debut. After the sparkling performances of Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Trevor Bauer, Miley, the Reds latest rotation addition, will be opposing one of the most feared lineups in the game. He’ll battle a fellow veteran Jon Lester to open the series Monday night.

Over the years, the Reds southpaw has had his way against the Cubs Javy Baez. The North Siders shortstop is just 1-for-11 lifetime versus Miley, while his teammate on the left side of the infield, Kris Bryant, has had a much easier time going 6-for-14 including a homer. Miley has enjoyed quite a bit of success against the Cubs in his nine-year career going 6-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 10 starts.

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Veteran Jon Lester will be making his season debut Monday night. The 36-year-old lefty is looking to bounce back following a subpar 2019 campaign which saw him lead the NL in hits allowed with 205 base knocks. Lester has given the Reds fits throughout the years. He’s compiled an impressive 7-2 mark in 19 career starts.

Tuesday will feature the Reds Tyler Mahle facing off against the Cubbies right-hander Alec Mills. Mahle will make at least one start in the Reds rotation while Anthony DeSclafani remains on the injured list due to what’s been described as a mild strain in his pitching arm.

In five career starts against the Cubs, Mahle has found success going 2-1 with a 3.64 ERA while allowing just 23 hits in 29.2 innings. What’s even more impressive is that in three of his five starts versus Chicago, Mahle has pitched at least six innings while allowing one run or fewer. The Reds could use another of those outings Tuesday night.

Alec Mills will be making his third career start against the Reds. Even though he has yet to earn a decision in either start, Mills has been relatively effective versus the Cincinnati lineup by allowing just nine hits while fanning 14 Redlegs in 11.2 innings.

Expect to see a ton of goose eggs on the GABP scoreboard Wednesday night as Sonny Gray (1-0 1.50 ERA) squares off against Kyle Hendricks (1-0 0.00 ERA). You won’t find a better early season pitching matchup across the majors than this one. Get your popcorn ready.

Gray has been especially effective versus the Cubs in six career starts. Tossing 35 innings, he’s surrendered just 22 hits while striking out 39 Cubbies. The Reds right-hander also haunts the sleep of Cubs right-fielder Jason Heyward who is just 1-for-16 lifetime with five punch-outs against the Nashville native.

As good as Gray was on Opening Day, the Cubs Kyle Hendricks was even better. Hendricks went the distance, shutting out the Brewers on just three hits and collecting nine strikeouts. However, there’s been one Red who has given the Cubs right-hander trouble. Of course, it’s Joey Votto. The Reds legend is slashing .393/.575/.821 with three homers in 40 plate appearances against the Cubs ace.

Thursday is La Piedra Day in the Queen City as Luis Castillo (0-0 1.50 ERA) closes the four game set against Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish (0-1 6.75 ERA). In his season debut, Castillo picked up right where he left off during the 2019 campaign. The Reds right-hander allowed one run while fanning 11 Tigers in just six innings of work.

Castillo has absolutely owned Cubs’ stars Javy Baez and Anthony Rizzo over his career. The two North Siders are a combined 8-for-43 versus La Piedra while fanning nine times between the two of them.

Darvish struggled in his season debut at home against the Brewers. Going just four innings, he allowed six hits and three runs in an 8-3 loss. When Darvish is effective, he racks up the strikeouts by the ton. Tossing 50 innings lifetime versus the Reds, he’s whiffed an impressive 65 batters.

Don’t be surprised to see David Bell insert Aristides Aquino into the lineup for both Wednesday and Thursday nights contests. The Punisher has taken Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish deep four times in just seven at-bats.

Reds pitchers will see plenty of Kris Bryant, who’s batting leadoff.

New Cubs skipper David Ross has not been afraid to try some interesting combinations at the top of his batting order to open the 2020 season. Even though he doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a leadoff hitter, Ross has had his slugging All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant occupying the top stop.

Dig a little deeper and you can understand the reasoning behind Ross’ unorthodox approach. For starters, the former Rookie of the Year and MVP owns a career .383 on-base percentage, which ranks sixth among all active players.

The Cubs don’t have anyone on their roster who meets the criteria of a typical leadoff hitter (speed on the base paths with a high on-base percentage). As a result, you might as well put the guy who gets on base the most at the top of the order.

The Cubs are no strangers to inserting power hitters into the leadoff spot. In the past, Kyle Schwarber, who’s from Middletown, Ohio, by the way, occupied the spot on occasion during former manager Joe Maddon’s tenure with the club.

How are things going so far with the Bryant experiment? So far, not very well. Granted it’s only three games, but Bryant is just 1-for-14 with six strikeouts and zero walks to start the season. Obviously, he’s going to snap out of it, but I’m sure a .071 batting average and OBP is not what Ross envisioned when he made this decision.

However, Bryant has found the Queen City one of his favorite places to visits. His six career home runs are the most he’s hit in any visiting ballpark. Toss in a .388 career OBP at Great American Ball Park, and when Bryant’s not jogging around the bases chances are you’ll see him occupying one of the others.