This is a 10* play on the CUBS

The Cubs started the second half hot by sweeping the Pirates. They now lead the NL Central by 2.5 games and will turn to a different divisional foe in Cincinnati. The Reds may be in last place, but actually have the division's 2nd best run differential. Unfortunately for them though, this series is at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are 32-16 at the Friendly Confines and today's starter (Kyle Hendricks) tends to pitch very well here. Hendricks has a 1.65 ERA and 0.88 WHIP at home. He's also got two quality starts under his belt against the Reds this season. The Reds lost two of three out in Coors over the weekend, giving up a lot of runs (19) over the last two games. This should be a very different series in terms of the offense as the Cubs pitching staff is allowing only 3.7 runs/game at home. The Reds typically don't have a strong offense, so while Luis Castillo has pitched well for them, we just don't see Cincy matching up here. The Cubs are 50-17 their last 67 home games against teams with losing road records. They've won 7 of the last 10 times Hendricks has started a series opener. The Reds are just 2-6 after scoring 5 or more runs in their last game. Play on the CUBS

AAA