Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs – June 9, 2024 – The Cincinnati Reds made it 7 in a row with their one-run win over the Chicago Cubs yesterday. Check out our post-game recap here. Time to make that 8 in a row. The Reds couldn’t avoid Shoto Imanaga forever – he’ll make them earn that 8th. Let’s break down how the Reds and Cubs will match up for this series finisher.
Cincinnati Reds RHP Frankie Montas
Montas pitched his best game in a Reds uniform last time out going 7 innings only allowing one hit and no runs. An up and down season so far for Frankie, now would be the time to hit his stride. His advanced statistics are ticking up, although not overall fantastic as of yet. He’s above league average in Breaking Run Value, Average Exit Velo, Chase %, and Barrel %. Here’s a crazy tidbit – Frankie Montas has never pitched against the Chicago Cubs. Let’s hope he keeps his last performance going into his first appearance against Chicago.
Cincinnati Reds Lineup Card
| Batters | Average | |
| 1 | RF Stuart Fairchild | .239 |
| 2 | SS Elly De La Cruz | .238 |
| 3 | 1B Jeimer Candelario | .238 |
| 4 | DH Spencer Steer | .238 |
| 5 | 2B Jonathan India | .242 |
| 6 | 3B Santiago Espinal | .192 |
| 7 | CF TJ Friedl | .232 |
| 8 | C Luke Maile | .181 |
| 9 | LF Blake Dunn | .143 |
I have to point out that three guys in a row have the same .238 average at the top of the order – that’s pretty wild. Overall, a pretty weak lineup. Tyler Stephenson gets a day off and with rotation against LHP, Dunn and Espinal sneak into the lineup. Again, loving Stuart Fairchild in the lead off against LHP. Going to be tough with this lineup against one of the best starters in the bigs to this point in the season.
Chicago Cubs LHP Shoto Imanaga
On 11 appearances in the MLB, Imanaga is 5-1 with a 1.88 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Dude gets it done. Mostly a two-pitch guy, Imanaga throws the Four Seam 56.7% of the time and the Split-Finger 33.4% of the time. He also mixes in a Sweeper and a Curveball but has had poor results with both. Actually, he has a negative value on his Split-Finger as well. He only throws the Four Seam 92 MPH.
I’ll be honest – while I think Imanaga will be a really good starter in the long term, his advanced stats smell like a guy that the league just hasn’t figured out yet. Not many find success with only one good pitch. Especially not as hard as he gets hit – he’s below average in Hard Hit % and Barrell %. That being said, we care about how he’s pitching now and he’s been phenomenal. The Cincinnati Reds will have to put something together to make it 8 in a row.
Chicago Cubs Lineup Card
| Batters | Average | |
| 1 | RF Mike Tauchman | .262 |
| 2 | DH Seiya Suzuki | .261 |
| 3 | 1B Cody Bellinger | .256 |
| 4 | 3B Christopher Morel | .202 |
| 5 | LF Ian Happ | .220 |
| 6 | SS Dansby Swanson | .220 |
| 7 | 2B Michael Busch | .246 |
| 8 | CF Pete Crow-Armstrong | .216 |
| 9 | C Miguel Amaya | .195 |
Suzuki is back in the lineup after suffering a left side injury from a throwdown by Tyler Stephenson that plunked him in the ribs. Clearly he’s not 100% as they have him in the DH spot, but good for him to get going again. Usually a Reds killer, Ian Happ has one more game to turn around his 0-11 in the series so far. This Cubs lineup isn’t necessarily what worries me – I just hope the bats can stay hot against Imanaga.
