Chicago Cubs (63-52, first in the NL Central) vs. Cincinnati Reds (54-59, fourth in the NL Central)
; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Yu Darvish (4-5, 4.36 ERA) Reds: Trevor Bauer (9-8, 3.85 ERA)
LINE: Cubs favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Cincinnati will host Chicago in a meeting of division foes.
The Reds are 24-29 against the rest of their division. The Cincinnati pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.07, Luis Castillo paces the staff with a mark of 2.69.
The Cubs are 26-21 against NL Central Division teams. Chicago's team on-base percentage of .329 is eighth in the majors. Anthony Rizzo leads the lineup with an OBP of .387. The Cubs won the last meeting 12-5. Tyler Chatwood earned his fifth victory and Nicholas Castellanos went 3-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs for Chicago. Kevin Gausman took his eighth loss for Cincinnati.
TOP PERFORMERS: Eugenio Suarez leads the Reds with 106 hits and has 72 RBIs. Jose Iglesias is 12-for-34 with two doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Cincinnati.
Javier Baez leads the Cubs with 79 RBIs and is batting .293. Castellanos is 14-for-33 with six doubles, three home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES: Reds: 6-4, .278 batting average, 5.08 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs
Cubs: 7-3, .297 batting average, 3.58 ERA, outscored opponents by 15 runs
Reds Injuries: Tyler Mahle: (hamstring), Derek Dietrich: (shoulder), Juan Graterol: (head), Curt Casali: (knee).
Cubs Injuries: Allen Webster: (hand), Brandon Morrow: (elbow), Brandon Kintzler: (pectoral), Craig Kimbrel: (knee), Kendall Graveman: (elbow), Xavier Cedeno: (wrist), Daniel Descalso: (ankle), Willson Contreras: (hamstring).
