MLB Picks: Reds vs. Cubs, Mariners vs. Giants

The starting pitching matchups in tonight’s games between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs and the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants hold the key to our two best bets for Wednesday night.

Cincinnati Reds (18-24) at Chicago Cubs (25-18), 8:15 p.m. ET

Two of the stingiest starting pitchers in baseball, the Reds’ Trevor Bauer and the Cubs’ Yu Darvish, collide at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night in favorable conditions. Runs should be very difficult to come across throughout.

Bauer (3-3, 2.05 ERA) exited his fifth quality start of the season after allowing only one earned run in six innings of work against the Pirates on Friday. His WHIP for the year is a scant 0.86. The Cubs roster as a whole is batting .188 against Bauer all-time, and their lineup is just 19th in runs per game this year (4.58). The Reds have had the best bullpen in the majors over the last week, producing a 0.66 ERA in that span.

Darvish (7-1, 1.44 ERA) looks like the NL Cy Young frontrunner, especially with main adversary Max Fried hitting the IL. A solo homer was the only offense Darvish allowed in his most recent outing against the Cardinals on Friday. He also struck out 11 through seven frames and lowered his WHIP to 0.88. Darvish tossed six shutout innings against the Reds, 29th in runs per game this year (3.83), when these teams met on Aug. 29. The Cubs’ relief corps is third in the ERA over the last week (2.08).

Bettors should note that both pitching staffs will have 12 mph winds at their backs on Wednesday night.

MLB pick: Under

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Seattle Mariners (19-23) at San Francisco Giants (22-21), 9:45 p.m. ET, MLBN

The Mariners appear to have a significant edge in starting pitching against the Giants on Wednesday night, so they’re worth a gamble as underdogs in this one.

Nick Margevicius (1-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) is fresh off the third quality start of his young career, when he held the Angels to two runs in six innings of work. His first ever quality start came against San Francisco last April, when he allowed only one run through six frames.

Tyler Anderson (1-3, 5.18 ERA) counters for San Francisco, and his ERA jumps to 6.68 once his complete-game shutout of the D-backs is taken out of the equation. Mariners third baseman Ty France has acquitted himself well since joining the club at the deadline (6-for-17, .353 average) – look for him to help generate offense.

MLB pick: Mariners moneyline