Chicago Cubs: Talking Cincinnati Reds as the clubs do battle this weekend

The Chicago Cubs somehow managed a .500 clip in the recent road trip, despite scoring just five runs in the first five games. Can they get it going at home?

Let’s hope Daniel Murphy joining the Chicago Cubs lineup and the team scoring eight runs wasn’t just a coincidence. The veteran second baseman helped set the tone on Wednesday in Detroit as the Cubs scored eight runs to split the series against the Tigers – managing a 3-3 road trip as they welcome the Cincinnati Reds to Wrigley Field.

The four-game set kicks off Thursday evening at the Friendly Confines. Once again, the Reds are firmly out of contention. That being said, they have all the makings of one of those teams capable of wreaking havoc in a tight race.

Chicago entered Thursday with a mere 2 1/2 game lead over the suddenly dangerous St. Louis Cardinals. The Milwaukee Brewers, meanwhile, remain just three games back as we head into the final week of August.

To get a better idea what to expect from Cincinnati, we chatted with Drew Koch of Blog Red Machine, the FanSided site dedicated to the Reds.