Chicago Cubs Rookie Leads Pitching Probables vs. Cincinnati Reds

The Chicago Cubs have set their pitching probables for their series with the Cincinnati Reds that starts on Friday at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

The Cubs and Reds will play a doubleheader on Friday. Game 1 will start at 12:10 p.m. central and Game 2 will start at 5:40 p.m. Saturday’s game will also start at 5:40 p.m. with Sunday’s finale set for 11:10 a.m.

Left-hander Jordan Wicks (1-0, 1.80) is set to start his second Major League game in the first game of the doubleheader. The Cubs’ Top 10 prospect made his MLB debut on Saturday, claiming a victory with five innings of work. He allowed two hits and one earned run, while walking one and striking out nine.

Per Elias, he was the first Cubs pitcher to retire at least 15 straight hitters in his MLB debut in the expansion era. With nine strikeouts, Wicks became the fourth starter in Cubs history (since 1901) to strike out at least nine hitters in his MLB debut.

He is expected to face the Reds’ Graham Ashcraft (7-8, 4.73). The right-hander is coming off a no-decision against Arizona on Sunday, as he gave up seven hits and two earned runs in 6.2 innings of work. He walked one and struck out five. He’s worked at least 6.2 innings in each of his last three starts and in his last seven he is 2-1 with a 2.68 ERA. In that span he has struck out 38 and walked 12.

Neither the Cubs nor the Reds have set probable starters for Game 2 on Friday.

Javier Assad (3-2, 2.96) is expected to start Saturday’s game. He claimed the victory against Pittsburgh on Sunday, throwing seven innings of three-hit baseball. He gave up an earned run and two walks while striking out seven. He joined the rotation full-time at the start of August and in those five starts he is 2-0 with a 2.48 ERA, along with 20 strikeouts and nine walks in 29 innings.

Left-hander Andrew Abbott (8-4, 3.35) is the Reds’ expected starter on Saturday. He absorbed the loss in his last start against San Francisco on Monday. He threw just 3.1 innings, giving up five hits and three earned runs. He walked three and struck out six. He is 3-2 with a 5.45 ERA in his last seven starts. He’s struck out 42 and walked 16 in 33 innings in that span.

Jameson Taillon (7-9, 5.62) is expected to start for the Cubs on Sunday. He is coming off a loss against Milwaukee on Monday, where he gave up nine hits and four earned runs in six innings. He struck out six and walked none. He is 3-3 with a 5.35 ERA in his last seven starts. He has struck out 33 and walked nine in his last 38.2 innings.

Left-hander Brandon Williamson (4-4, 4.20) is the Reds’ expected starter on Sunday. He took a loss against San Francisco on Tuesday, giving up six hits and three earned runs in six innings. He struck out five and walked none. He is 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA in his last seven starts, with 41 strikeouts and 10 walks in 41 innings. He is in his rookie season.

The Cubs follow the Reds series with a three-game series at Wrigley Field against San Francisco starting on Monday.