Cubs Face Reds With 85-68 Wild-Card Edge as Burns, Holmes Bring Sub-2.90 ERAs
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 18
Cubs Face Reds With 85-68 Wild-Card Edge as Burns, Holmes Bring Sub-2.90 ERAs
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 18
Summary
Chicago enters Cincinnati at 85-68 holding the NL’s top wild-card spot, but only on a tiebreak-level margin with Philadelphia and one game ahead of San Diego.
Clay Holmes and Chase Burns shape the matchup into a likely low-scoring duel: Holmes has a 2.85 ERA, while Burns is 15-3 with a 2.80 ERA and a 2.09 home ERA.
Holmes has been one of the Cubs’ few reliable starters despite Chicago’s broader pitching problems, allowing 15 earned runs in seven Cubs starts, with more than half coming in one outing against Miami.
Cincinnati is headed for a sub-.500 finish after making the playoffs last year, though Burns, Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart’s 32 homers and 109 RBIs have provided bright spots.
The report’s betting lean is under 4.5 runs through five innings, citing both starters’ form and limited trust in either bullpen later in the game.