Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds preview, Thursday 6/30, 7:05 CT

Today's roster move:

Thursday notes...

• HAPP-ENINGS: Ian Happ, last 27 games since May 31: .316/.409/.541 (31-for-98) with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs and 13 walks.
• THE NICO FILES: Nico Hoerner has a seven-game hitting streak in which he is batting .539/.567/.731 (14-for-26) with two doubles, a home run and only three strikeouts. He has raised his season OPS from. 686 to .766 in those seven games.
• WILL-SON!: Willson Contreras’ 13 home runs lead all MLB catchers and in his last 26 games since May 31: .303/.405/.566 (30-for-99) with eight doubles, six home runs and 14 runs scored.
• STEELE BEAMS: With his solid outing Wednesday, Steele reduced his June ERA to 3.03 in five starts after posting a 5.32 ERA in May, and also has a 3.14 ERA in 10 starts at Wrigley Field this season. That includes a 2.12 ERA in his last six starts at home since May 21.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Reds lineup:

Kyle Hendricks, RHP vs. Graham Ashcraft, RHP

Kyle Hendricks had one of his best starts of the year last Friday in St. Louis. He’d like to build on that, but...

... he downplayed the idea of feeling like the old Hendricks again: “Somewhat, but it feels so long ago. I’m really trying to focus on where I’m at right now.”

He allowed the Reds four runs in four innings May 25 in Cincinnati. Fortunately, this game is in Chicago, because Kyle has a lifetime 5.93 ERA in 13 starts at GABP. Against the Reds at Wrigley: 10 starts, 2.65 ERA.

So, hopefully this one’s better.

Graham Ashcraft sounds like a guy who should be in Monty Python, right?

But no, he’s your average sixth-round pick out of Alabama-Birmingham. He has made seven starts for the Reds with a 3.27 ERA and 1.089 WHIP. Of the seven outings, four were good-to-excellent, the other three not so much.

He has never faced the Cubs, though it should be noted both Alfonso Rivas and P.J. Higgins got hits off him April 20 for Iowa vs. Louisville, for whatever that’s worth.

The guy throws hard, though. A cutter at 97? Yikes.

Statcast

Statcast

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. Here’s a list of providers currently carrying Marquee.

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Reds site Red Reporter. If you do go there to interact with Reds fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2022 Game Thread procedure will be like last years, similar to what we’ve used for Spring Training.

You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.

Discuss amongst yourselves.