The Pittsburgh Pirates (37-41) travel to face off against the Cincinnati Reds (37-41) on Tuesday, June 25th. This game will be played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and televised on BSOH. The Reds are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pirates are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Reds. First pitch is set for 6:10 CT.
Pirates vs Reds
Cincinnati cruised to an easy 11-5 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Reds had a huge 4th inning, scoring five of their eleven runs. As for the Pirates, they scored their final two runs in the 5th. Heading into the game, the Reds were favored at -134 on the money line.
Carson Spiers pitched well for the Reds in this one, going six innings and giving up just three earned runs. He finished the game with five strikeouts and picked up a win. Bailey Falter had a rough outing for the Pirates, taking the loss.
At the plate, the Reds were led by Elly De La Cruz, Jonathan India, and Spencer Steer, as they each had two hits and combined for seven RBIs. De La Cruz and Stuart Fairchild each homered for Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh is 37-41 overall and is 8.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates lost the first game of this series vs. the Reds and are 10-11 in the division. So far, they have gone 19-20 at home and 18-21 on the road.
As the underdog, the Pirates are 22-23 this season, and they are 12-15 as the road underdog. Pittsburgh has dropped two straight games, and their longest losing streak as the underdog is four games. They are also 15-18 when favored this year.
The Pirates have been a good bet on the run line this season, going 41-37 overall. They are 19-20 at home and 22-17 on the road. They have been a solid bet as an underdog, going 30-15 on the run line. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.9, while it is -3.6 in losing games.
When the Pirates are on the road, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, which is their combined run average for the season. Their over/under record is 37-40, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 13-11. Overall, 11 of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, which accounts for 14.1% of their games this season.
Mitch Keller Gets The Start For The Pirates
Pittsburgh is sending right-hander Mitch Keller to the mound today vs. the Reds. He has made 15 starts this season and has a record of 8-4 with a 3.11 ERA. Keller’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.20. In his 15 appearances, he has turned in nine quality starts and is averaging 8.26 strikeouts per nine innings. Keller’s last outing came vs. the Reds, where he went seven innings, giving up two earned runs, and finished with a no-decision. Before that, he had won three straight starts.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
The Pirates offense has struggled this season, as they are just 24th in runs per game and are near the bottom of the league in home runs, batting average, and on-base percentage. Overall, they are averaging 4 runs per game, but at home, this number drops to 3.8. One thing they have done well is avoid strikeouts, as they are 26th in the league in strikeouts per game.
Bryan Reynolds has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/21 in his last six games with three homers. For the season, he is batting .278 with a team-high 44 RBIs and 12 homers. Reynolds also has the team’s longest active hitting streak at 21 games. Oneil Cruz is 2nd on the team with 11 homers but is batting just .243 for the season.
Cincinnati is 37-41 overall and are 8.5 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. They are 10-10 against other teams in the NL Central this season. The Reds are looking to get back to .500 today and can pick up a game on the Brewers with a win and a Brewers loss.
So far, the Reds have dropped three straight series, and their overall series record is 8-15-2. This season, they are 20-21 at home compared to 17-20 on the road. As the favorite, the Reds are 20-14 and 17-27 as the underdog.
The Reds have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 42-36 overall. They have been especially good on the run line on the road, going 24-13. However, they have not been as good at home, going 18-23 on the run line. They have been a better bet on the run line as the underdog, going 26-18. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.6, while their average run margin in losing games is -2.9.
When the Cincinnati Reds are at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Reds’ combined run average is 8.3 runs per game. Their over/under record is 33-42, and their average over/under line is 9 runs. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 5-6. So far this season, 52.6% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs. Their over streak is currently at 2 games.
Hunter Greene Gets The Start For The Reds
Hunter Greene will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run. In that start vs. the Pirates, which came on June 19th, he went 6 1/3 innings, giving up just two hits and two walks. Greene finished with nine strikeouts in the outing. Overall, he has made 15 starts and six of them have been quality starts. Greene’s ERA for the season is 3.35, along with a record of 5-2. For the year, he has allowed eight home runs and is averaging 9.95 strikeouts per nine innings.
Reds Offense Breakdown
Elly De La Cruz has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Reds, going 8/25 in his last six games, including two home runs. For the season, he is batting .249 with 14 homers, which is 11th in the league. Jeimer Candelario also has 14 homers this season and is batting .250, but he has gone just 5/22 in his last six games. Candelario’s 38 RBIs is 2nd on the team, while Spencer Steer leads the Reds with 48 RBIs.
As a team, the Reds are batting just .228 and are averaging 4.3 runs per game. This is 17th in the league. They have been a bit better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per game. Currently, the Reds are 14th in home runs and have the 15th ranked slugging percentage in the MLB.
Pirates vs Reds Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Pirates vs. Reds game is to take the Reds on the money line at -124. We have the Reds winning this one by a score of 5-4. Looking at the starting pitchers, Hunter Greene has the highest strikeout projection among starters, and you could also look to take him to go over his strikeout line.
As for Mitch Keller, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and we have him finishing with a line of 5.0 IP, 5 H, and 2 ER. Offensively, the Reds lineup is projected to finish with eight hits, compared to the Pirates, who are projected to finish with just seven.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:June 28, 2024 Pirates, Reds