Teams that have struggled of late meet on Friday when the Cincinnati Reds battle the Chicago Cubs in a key National League Central matchup. Cincinnati was beaten 5-3 by St. Louis on Wednesday, while Chicago fell to Milwaukee 6-4 on Thursday. Cincinnati will send Graham Ashcraft (4-3, 4.67 ERA) to the mound while the Cubs will counter with Javier Assad (4-1, 2.17 ERA).

First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs are the -148 money line favorites (risk $148 to win $100) in the latest Reds vs. Cubs odds, while Cincinnati is a +125 underdog. The over/under for total runs scored is 8.5. 

Before you make any Reds vs. Cubs picks or MLB predictions, you need to see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It entered Week 10 of the 2024 MLB season on a 125-100 run on top-rated MLB picks dating back to last season, and it has excelled on top-rated run-line picks during that span, going 20-8 (+708). Anybody following has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows right fielder Mike Tauchman is among Chicago's top hitters this season. He had his four-game hit streak snapped in the loss at Milwaukee on Thursday. He was 2-for-5 with two runs scored in Wednesday's 10-6 loss to the Brewers. In 51 games this season, Tauchman is hitting .263 with nine doubles, one triple, four homers and 17 RBI. He has hit Reds pitching well throughout his career. In 19 games, he is batting .327 with five doubles, one homer and 10 RBI vs. Cincinnati.

The model also knows Elly De La Cruz is among Cincinnati's top hitters. In 56 games this season, he is hitting .249 with 10 doubles, one triple, nine homers and 24 RBI with 37 runs scored. He is coming off a 2-for-5 performance in Wednesday's loss to St. Louis. He has been a terror on the base paths, registering 31 stolen bases, while being caught just five times.

The model has simulated Reds vs. Cubs 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the run total and it also says one side of the money line has ALL the value!

Who wins Reds vs. Cubs, and which side of the money line has ALL the value? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the money line you should be all over, all from the model on a 125-100 roll on top-rated MLB picks!