Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 09/20/25

With 8 games remaining in the regular season, the Cincinnati Reds continue to stay alive in the NL Wild Card race and are just 2 games back of the New York Mets. The Reds have won 3 straight games, including the first 2 games of their 4-game series against the Chicago Cubs. Chicago has already clinched their way to October baseball and with a 5-game lead over the San Diego Padres for the top Wild Card spot, it appears more likely than not that they go on to secure home-field advantage for the first round. Cincinnati has much more to play for in Saturday’s contest, and with the Mets playing the Washington Nationals earlier in the day, the Reds will have a good idea of whether or not they can inch closer in the standings by first pitch.

The pitching matchup for Saturday sees a pair of right-handers with Javier Assad taking the mound for Chicago, opposite Zack Littell for Cincinnati. Assad has dealt with injuries for much of the season, so his overall workload has been limited, logging just 27.2 innings across 6 appearances and 5 starts with a 4.23 ERA. The last appearance for Assad was out of the bullpen on September 14, and Saturday will mark his first start since September 5 in which he allowed 4 earned runs across 5.1 innings against the Nationals. Littell has a much larger sample size than Assad as he’s made 30 starts this season with a 3.86 ERA. After departing the Tampa Bay Rays and joining the Reds, Littell made his first start in a Reds’ uniform against the Cubs on August 5. It was one of Littell’s strongest outings of the season, limiting Chicago to 1 earned run on just 3 hits. September has been more of a struggle for Littell, but I think the Reds offense has performed well enough of late and can overcome some early runs from the Cubs if necessary. Back the Reds to get their 4th consecutive win at home.

Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction: Reds ML (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.