Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 6/18/24
At 6:40 PM ET, the Reds and Pirates face off in an NL Central matchup. This one is being played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and the Reds are currently favored on the money line (-130). The money line odds for the Pirates are sitting at +111, and the over/under line is at 8.5 runs.
Cincinnati will be looking to end a three-game losing streak, as they are 34-38 overall. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has won two straight and is 35-37, putting them 3rd in the NL Central. The Reds are starting Nick Lodolo, while Bailey Falter goes for the Pirates. BSOH is carrying this game on TV.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS CINCINNATI REDS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates Moneyline +111
This game will be played at PNC Park at 6:40 ET on Tuesday, June 18th.
HOW TO BET THE REDS VS PIRATES:
- We have the Pirates winning by a score of 5 to 4
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Pirates to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Pittsburgh picked up a 4-1 win over the Reds in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a three-run 1st inning and added their final run in the 2nd. On the other side, the Reds got on the board with one run in the 1st and didn’t score again. Heading into the game, the Pirates were favored at -184 on the money line.
Paul Skenes started for the Pirates and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with seven strikeouts but issued one walk. David Bednar got the save. Carson Spiers had a rough outing for the Reds, taking the loss after going six innings and giving up four runs.
Bryan Reynolds and Rowdy Tellez each had two hits and an RBI for the Pirates’ offense. Oneil Cruz also drove in two runs. For the Reds, Elly De La Cruz went 3/4 with an RBI.
Reds Records & Stats
Cincinnati is 34-38 overall and trails the Brewers by eight games in the NL Central. The Reds have lost three straight games, and they are 8-9 against other teams in the NL Central. So far, they have been just below .500 both at home (18-19) and on the road (16-19).
As the road favorite, the Reds have gone 6-1 this year, and they are 18-13 as the favorite overall. When tabbed as the underdog, Cincinnati has gone just 16-25 this year. The Reds’ overall series record is 8-13-2, and they are currently down 0-1 in this series vs. the Pirates.
The Reds have been a solid run line bet on the road this season at 23-12, but they have dropped their last two against the run line. Their average run margin on the road is +0.6, and they have a run line record of 15-16 when favored.
The Reds have been involved in high-scoring games this season, with their games averaging 8.4 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 31-38, and when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, they are 5-6. Cincinnati’s games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs, and 51.4% of their games have had lines set higher than 8.5 runs. Currently, they are on a three-game under streak.
Cincinnati is sending left-hander Nick Lodolo to the mound today as he faces the Pirates on the road. Lodolo has made 10 starts this season and has a record of 7-2 with a 2.93 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Lodolo has a WHIP of 1.06 and opponents are batting .210 off him this season. Out of his 10 starts, Lodolo has turned in five quality starts and is averaging 9.57 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he gave up two earned runs in six innings of work, coming away with the win. Before that, he had given up two homers in back-to-back outings.
Heading into today’s game, the Reds offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. They have been a slightly better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game. As a team, the Reds are batting just .226, but they do have the 13th most home runs in the league.
Elly De La Cruz and Jeimer Candelario come into the game tied for the team lead with 12 home runs apiece, with Candelario batting .252 and De La Cruz at .242. Candelario has been hot of late, going 11/32 in his last eight games with four homers and 10 RBIs. Spencer Steer is also among the league leaders in RBIs, as his 43 is the best mark on the team and 14th in the league.
Pirates Records & Stats
Pittsburgh is 35-37 overall and is seven games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates have gone 9-9 in divisional games this year. They have won two straight games, and their series vs. the Reds is currently 1-0 in their favor.
At home, the Pirates are 17-17 this year and 18-20 on the road. So far, they have gone 13-17 as the favorite and 22-20 as the underdog. As for their overall series record, the Pirates are 9-10-4 this year. Over their last 10 games, the Pirates are 6-4.
When the Pirates win, they do so by an average of 3.1 runs per game. When they lose, they lose by an average of 3.6 runs per game. Their run line record is 40-32, with a 22-16 record on the road and an 18-16 record at home. They are 29-13 against the run line as the underdog, but just 11-19 as the favorite. Their average run margin for the season is -0.3 runs per game.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 35-36. The over/under line for their games has been set at 8 runs on average. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 13-10. The over has hit in 12.5% of their games when the line is set at 8.5 runs. Their games have had lower over/under lines in 55.6% of their games this season. Their current under streak is at 2 games.
Bailey Falter gets the start for the Pirates today and is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Cardinals. In that start, he went 4 innings, took the loss, and gave up 3 earned runs. Looking back over his last three starts, Falter has given up at least 3 earned runs in each outing. Before this rough stretch, he had put together three straight quality starts. Falter’s ERA for the season is 3.86, along with a record of 3-4. Opposing batters are hitting .227 off the left-hander this season.
Andrew McCutchen has been swinging the bat well of late for the Pirates, going 11/32 in his last eight games, including two home runs. Overall, McCutchen is batting .244 for the season and leads the team with 10 homers. Bryan Reynolds is also swinging a hot bat right now, going 15/41 in his last 10 games and is batting .271 for the season. Reynolds also has a team-high 39 RBIs.
As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in strikeouts and have a team batting average of just .233. Pittsburgh’s team OPS of .664 is also one of the worst marks in the league.