The Pittsburgh Pirates (38-41) travel to face off against the Cincinnati Reds (37-42) on Wednesday, June 26th. This game will be played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and televised on BSOH. The Pirates are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Reds are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pirates. First pitch is set for 12:10 CT.
Pirates vs Reds
Pittsburgh cruised to a 9-5 win over the Reds in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 1st inning, scoring three of their nine runs. As for the Reds, they scored their first run in the 5th and added four more in the 9th.
Mitch Keller only went 5 2/3 innings for the Pirates but gave up just three hits and three earned runs. Hunter Greene struggled on the mound for the Reds, giving up six runs in four innings of work.
At the plate, the Pirates were led by Bryan Reynolds and Jared Triolo, who each homered and scored twice. Reynolds, Nick Gonzales, and Rowdy Tellez each had two RBIs for Pittsburgh’s offense.
Pittsburgh is 38-41 overall and 8.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates are 3rd in the division and have gone 11-11 against other NL Central teams. So far, they are 19-20 at home compared to 19-21 on the road.
As the road underdog, the Pirates have gone 13-15 this year, and they are 23-23 as the underdog overall. Pittsburgh’s series record is 10-11-4 this year, and they are 5-5 over their last 10 games, including dropping the first two games of this series vs. the Reds.
The Pirates have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 42-37 overall. They are 23-17 against the run line on the road, where their average run margin is -.2. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 31-15 against the run line.
Oddsmakers have set the over/under line at 9.5 runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ game against the Cincinnati Reds today. The Pirates have a combined run average of 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 38-40. Pittsburgh has played just one game this season with an over/under line of 9.5 runs, and the over hit in that game. The over has hit in two straight Pirates games.
Luis L. Ortiz Gets The Start For The Pirates
Pittsburgh is sending Luis L. Ortiz to the mound today, and he will be coming out of the bullpen for the Pirates. This year, he has made 21 appearances and has a record of 3-2 with a 3.45 ERA. Ortiz’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.30. In his last outing, he went 4 innings out of the bullpen, giving up 6 hits, 3 earned runs, and 1 homer. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without giving up a homer. Ortiz has a walk rate of 3.45 per nine innings compared to 6.89 strikeouts.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 24th in the league. At home, they have been even worse, averaging just 3.8 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .228 and have the league’s 24th ranked slugging percentage. However, Bryan Reynolds has been hot of late, going 9/22 in his last six games with four homers.
Reynolds’ four homers in his last six games has him at 13 for the season, which is 12th in the league. His 46 RBIs are 13th best in the MLB. Oneil Cruz is 2nd on the team with 11 homers and is batting .243 for the season.
Cincinnati is 37-42 overall, putting them 4th in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Brewers by 9.5 games for the division lead. So far, they have gone 10-11 against other teams in the NL Central, and they are looking to even up their record at home (20-22) with a win today.
The Reds have dropped three straight series and are 8-15-2 in series play this year. Cincinnati has struggled as the underdog, going 17-27, and they are just 3-7 over their last 10 games overall. As the favorite, the Reds are 20-15 this season.
The Reds have been a good team to bet on the run line this season, as they are 42-37 overall. They have been especially good on the road, going 24-13 on the run line. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 26-18 on the run line. Their average run differential is just +0.1 runs per game.
The Cincinnati Reds are playing at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates today. The over/under line for the game is set at 9.5 runs. The combined run average for Reds games this season is 8.4 runs. The over/under record for the Reds this season is 34-42, and their games have averaged an over/under line of 9 runs. When the over/under line is set at 9.5 runs, the Reds have a 13-7 record. Only 6.3% of their games this season have had an over/under line set at 9.5 runs. The Reds are currently on a three-game over streak.
Graham Ashcraft Gets The Start For The Reds
Cincinnati is sending right-hander Graham Ashcraft to the mound today vs. the Pirates. He has made 12 starts this season and has a record of 4-3 with an ERA of 5.05. Ashcraft’s WHIP for the season is 1.46, and he has turned in three quality starts. In his most recent outing, Ashcraft finished with a no-decision, giving up four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had gone 1-0 in two straight outings. Ashcraft has a much better ERA on the road at 4.22 compared to 7.69 at home.
Reds Offense Breakdown
Elly De La Cruz has been one of the Reds’ best hitters this season, as he is batting .253 with a team-high 14 home runs. He has also been hot of late, going 10/29 in his last seven games with two homers. Overall, he is 3rd on the team with 35 RBIs. Jeimer Candelario is also at 14 homers this season, and he is 2nd on the team with 39 RBIs, but he is coming off a stretch in which he batted just 5/27.
As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. Their batting average of .229 is 20th in the MLB, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS. Currently, the Reds have five players on a hitting streak, including Jonathan India, who is 13/25 in his last seven games.
Pirates vs Reds Prediction
Given that the Pirates are the underdogs at +111, we see this as a great opportunity to take them on the money line. Our predicted score is 6-5 in favor of the Pirates, and at +111, there is some good value in taking them to win outright.
If you’re looking for a potential parlay option, you could also look at the over/under, with the line sitting at 9.5 runs. However, we see this game finishing with 11 runs, giving us some room to take the over, but we would stick with the Pirates on the money line.
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 26, 2024 Pirates, Reds