Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction & Betting Tips 6/17/2024

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds Preview

Carson Spiers is starting for the Reds on Monday, and he is facing off against Paul Skene for the Pirates. The money line odds have the Pirates as the heavy favorite, with their odds sitting at -197, while the Reds are at +166. This NL Central matchup has an over/under line of 8 runs, and the game is being played at 6:40 PM ET from PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

BSOH is carrying Monday’s TV coverage, and the Reds are looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they are 34-37 and 4th in the NL Central. The Pirates are also 34-37 and are 3rd in the NL Central.

Check out BetCoco for Pittsburgh Pirates – Cincinnati Reds odds

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends and Key Stats

• The Reds are 3-2 in their five most recent road games, including a 4-1 runline record.
• On the opposing side, the Pirates have a 2-3 (SU) record, along with a 2-3 record in their last five home contests.
• Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Pirates have won 5-5 straight-up, and have a 4-6 record vs. the runline.
• Over their previous ten games as the underdog, the Reds have a straight-up record of 5-5 and a 6-4 record vs. the runline.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction

The Reds will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Brewers with a 5-4 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 8th inning before the Brewers scored three runs in the bottom of the 8th. Cincinnati was the +128 underdog on the road going into this matchup.

Frankie Montas had a good start for the Reds, going five innings and giving up just three earned runs, and striking out five. However, the Cincinnati bullpen couldn’t close things out, and Lucas Sims took the loss out of the bullpen. The Reds also wasted a big game from Elly De La Cruz, who homered in the 1st inning, going 2/3.

Cincinnati will be on the road today to take on the Pirates, and they are looking to get back to .500, as they are currently 34-37. The Reds have dropped two straight games, and they are 8.0 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. So far, they are 8-8 in divisional games.

The Reds have an overall series record of 8-13-2 this year, and they lost their most recent series vs. the Brewers. As the road underdog, the Reds are 10-17 this year, and they are 16-18 as the favorite. Cincinnati’s overall record on the road is 16-18.

When betting the Reds on the run line this season, it’s been more profitable to take them on the road. Cincinnati has a run line record of 23-11 away from home, compared to just 15-22 at Great American Ball Park. The Reds have been favored in 31 games this season, going 15-16 against the run line in those contests.

The Reds have played in 63 games this season, and 48 of them have had over/under lines set above 8 runs. Their over/under record for the season is 31-37, and their games have averaged 8.4 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, the Reds have gone 3-5. Their games have averaged 9 runs per game, and their under streak is at 2 games.

Carson Spiers will be making his first start of the season for the Reds, as he has been used out of the bullpen in each of his first four appearances. His last outing was his longest of the year, as he went 5 2/3 innings vs. the Cubs, striking out 7 and giving up 4 hits. Spiers has yet to give up a home run this season.

Jeimer Candelario has been on a tear of late for the Reds, going 12/35 in his last nine games with four homers and 10 RBIs. Candelario’s 35 RBIs are the 2nd most on the team, and he is also tied for the team lead with 12 homers. Cincinnati’s top home run hitter is shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who is batting just .235 for the season.

As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.3 runs per game and are 15th in home runs. However, they have been one of the worst hitting teams in the league so far, with a team batting average of just .226. This has led to a team on-base percentage of only .307, which is 14th in the league.

The Pirates’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Rockies, closing out their series with an 8-2 win. After allowing two runs to the Rockies in the bottom of the first, the Pirates responded with a run of their own and added another four runs in the 2nd inning. Pittsburgh went on to score a total of eight runs on 15 hits and didn’t hit a home run.

Carmen Mlodzinski got the start for the Pirates, going four innings, and didn’t give up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out three Rockies batters. Josh Fleming picked up the win out of the bullpen, going four innings and not giving up a run. He only had two strikeouts in the outing and got the win.

The Pirates are 34-37 overall, putting them 3rd in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Brewers by eight games. So far, they have gone just 8-9 in divisional games. Pittsburgh will host the Reds today with an overall record of 16-17 at home compared to 18-20 on the road.

This season, the Pirates have really struggled as the favorite, going 12-17. As for their time as the underdog, they are 22-20. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 9-10-4, and they won their most recent series vs. the Rockies. The Pirates are 5-5 across their last 10 games.

When betting on the Pirates this season, it’s been a good idea to take the run line, as they have covered in 39 of their 71 games. They have been a better bet on the road, going 22-16, compared to 17-16 at home. They have been a better bet as an underdog, going 29-13, compared to 10-19 as the favorite.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates are at home, the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The Pirates’ combined run average is 8.6 runs per game, and their over/under record for the season is 35-35. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 9-10. So far this season, 45.1% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, while 28.2% have had lines set lower than 8 runs.

Pittsburgh is sending right-hander Paul Skenes to the mound today vs. the Reds. He has made six starts this year and has a record of 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA. Skenes has made four quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he didn’t allow a run. In that appearance vs. the Cardinals, he went 6 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and issuing zero walks. Skenes has a strikeout per nine innings figure of 12.42. So far, he has allowed four home runs. Per nine innings, he is giving up just 1.62 walks.

For the season, the Pirates are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 4.2 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .232, which is 18th in the league, and are also near the bottom of the league in terms of slugging percentage and OPS.

Bryan Reynolds has been hot of late, going 14/42 in his last 10 games, and is currently on a 14-game hitting streak. During this stretch, he has six runs and four RBIs. Andrew McCutchen has also been swinging the bat well, going 11/34 in his last eight games, including two homers.

Looking at the money line for this game, we don’t see a ton of value on the Pirates at -197. Instead, we like the over, as the line is sitting at 8 runs. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Pirates, giving us a full run to work with.

As for the starting pitchers, we have Carson Spiers going six innings and finishing with six strikeouts. As for Paul Skenes, we have him also finishing with six strikeouts and going six innings. If you’re looking for a pick on the money line, we would recommend paring the Pirates with another team to get the payout up.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds Betting Tips

• Take the Pirates on the moneyline
• On the run line we like the Reds (+1.5)
• Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over

Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report

Cincinnati Reds Injury Report