Reds vs Cubs Free Pick, MLB Free Picks, MLB Predictions 8/5/25

CINCINNATI @ CHICAGO CUBS (CHC -185, 8.5)

MLB ODDS, MLB PREDICTIONS, MLB PREVIEWS

Cardinals vs Dodgers Free Pick, MLB Free Picks, MLB Predictions 8/4/25

REDS @ CUBS 8/5/25

Tonight, Cincinnati (58-54) will travel to Wrigley Field to play Chicago (65-46) in the second game of their three-game series, hoping to avoid their third straight series loss. The Reds started it off in strong fashion with a 3-2 win over the Cubs last night.

The Reds will be starting Zack Littell, who is 8-8 with a 3.58 ERA, for the first time since he was acquired during the trade deadline. The Cubs' will go with ace Shota Imanaga who is 8-5 with a 3.25 ERA. Chicago's record against Cincinnati in the last 11 games is 7-4.

The Reds have lost four of their last seven games and haven't played well for the past week. They are four games outside of the final NL Wildcard spot, 7.5 games behind the Cubs in second place, and third in the NL Central standings. They will continue to fight and maintain their postseason hopes.

Cincinnati ranks 10th in the league in scoring with an average of 4.57 runs per game. They rank 16th in the league with a batting average of .247, 10th with a .321 on-base percentage and 20th with a .393 slugging percentage. The Reds' most reliable batter has been Elly De La Cruz. He leads the Reds with 19 home runs, 72 RBI, and a .282 batting average.

The Reds pitching staff is pretty solid. They are 14th in runs allowed per game (4.20) and 15th in team ERA (3.89). Reds pitchers hold opponents to a .235 batting average and, collectively, their WHIP is 1.24.

Littell lost to the Yankees 5-4 in his most recent start after giving up two hits and no runs in five innings. He has one career game against Chicago and is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA.

With a series victory over Baltimore over the weekend, the Cubs recovered from their series loss to Milwaukee. They will attempt to reduce Milwaukee's lead in the NL Central with a victory on Tuesday. They are currently two games behind the Brewers.

Chicago leads the majors with an average of 5.22 runs per game. They rank fourth in the league with a batting average of .255. Cubs hitters rank seventh with a .324 on-base percentage and second with a .441 slugging percentage. Nico Hoerner leads Chicago with a .295 batting average. Pete Crow-Armstrong tops the team in home runs with 27 and Seiya Suzuki has the most RBIs with 82.

Pitching could be better for the Cubs as they rank at or near the middle of MLB in most pitching categories. They rank 16th in team ERA at 3.92 and 20th in opponent batting average (.246).

Imanaga's most recent start ended in a 10-3 victory over Milwaukee after he allowed three runs and five hits in five innings. In one game against Cincinnati, he has a 2.70 ERA and is 0-0.

Get free MLB Picks and MLB Predictions for the top games on the weekly 2025 MLB schedule from JA Cavalier, one of the industry's premier expert MLB handicappers. J.A. Cavalier has been  bringing the MLB betting community the MLB free picks and predictions for nearly three decades. Visit daily for the best MLB money line and run line odds and game totals. 

FREE PICK:UNDER 8.5

The Reds have had issues with left-handed pitchers all season long. They only hit .221 vs. LHP. That ranks 28th in MLB. Shota Imanaga pitches for the Cubs and he’s 8-4 with a 3.25 ERA. He has one career start against the Reds and is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. Zack Littell makes his first start for the Reds. He pitched well in July with his worst start - 5 ER - ironically against the Reds. He’s given up 3 ER or less in 7 of his last 8 starts. There will be a wind blowing in toward home plate at Wrigley Field tonight. Last night’s game went Under the total making it 10 out of the last 12 Under for Cincy and 6 of the last 7 between these two teams in Chicago Under the total.