Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds preview, Sunday 5/28, 1:20 CT

Sunday notes...

• CUBS vs. REDS: The Cubs have not been swept at home by the Reds since Aug. 12-14, 2013, when they lost 2-0, 6-4 in 11 innings and 5-0. Since then, the Cubs have gone winless in a series of three or more games at Wrigley Field at least once against nine other National League teams. The exceptions: the Braves, Marlins, Mets and Rockies. The Cubs lost the first three games, then won the fourth in one series each against the Mets and Rockies. The Cubs also have been swept at home by the Royals, White Sox and Yankees since they last were swept by the Reds. The Cubs are 50-31 at home against the Reds since they were swept in 2013. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• HAPP-ENINGS: Ian Happ, career vs. Reds: .294/.405/.635 (86-for-293) with 26 home runs in 93 career games. This year: 5-for-14 (.357/.500/.571), three doubles, five walks.
• OH, THAT FIRST INNING: Cubs pitching has posted a 5.65 ERA in the first inning (32 earned runs in 51 innings), and a 4.14 ERA (184 earned runs in 400 innings).
• WALKS AND BASERUNNERS: The Cubs have drawn 196 walks this year, fourth in MLB and on pace for 623 (the franchise record is 656, set in 2016). Their .335 OBP is third in MLB. But... they have left 389 runners on base (an average of 7.6 per game), second-most in MLB behind the Blue Jays.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Reds lineup:

Drew Smyly, LHP vs. Graham Ashcraft, RHP

Drew Smyly continues to have consistently good outings. Since his first start, April 3 vs. the Reds where he got pounded, he has a 2.13 ERA and 0.847 WHIP.

Hoping that start vs. the Reds was an aberration and he can keep going as he has been over the last nine starts.

Graham Ashcraft is another one of those Reds starters who throws 97+ almost all the time.

Early this year he was having good results but his last four starts have been horrific — 12.98 ERA, 2.135 WHIP, five home runs allowed in 17⅓ innings. Yikes.

He made four starts vs. the Cubs last year and the Cubs just absolutely clobbered him — 11.88 ERA, 2.100 WHIP, including 13 hits and 12 runs in five innings in two games at Wrigley Field.

More just like that, please.

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 2023 Game Thread procedure will be like last year’s, 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.