Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 8/22/24

Thursday’s Reds vs. Pirates matchup has a first pitch set for 6:40 PM ET from PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The money line odds have the Pirates at -149 compared to the Reds at +125. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs, and SN PT is carrying this game on TV.

The forecast for Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid-70s. Nick Lodolo is starting for the Reds, and he is facing off against Paul Skene for the Pirates. Cincinnati is 62-65, while the Pirates are 59-67, and both teams are in the NL Central.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS CINCINNATI REDS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates Moneyline -149

This game will be played at PNC Park at 6:40 ET on Thursday, August 22nd.

HOW TO BET THE REDS VS PIRATES:

• We have the Pirates winning by a score of 6 to 5
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Reds to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

Reds Records & Stats

Heading into their last game vs. the Blue Jays, the Reds closed out the series with an 11-7 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -121 on the money line. It was a big third inning that turned things in their favor, as the Reds scored five runs in the inning. Cincinnati’s offense added another three runs in the 4th to put things out of reach. The Blue Jays scored three runs of their own in the 1st but couldn’t keep things going, as they didn’t score again until the 9th.

Emilio Pagan got the win out of the bullpen for the Reds, going 2 2/3 innings, and didn’t give up a run. Cincinnati’s starter, Nick Martinez, only lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up six earned runs. Elly De La Cruz was hot at the plate, going 3/4 with a homer and three RBIs.

Cincinnati is 62-65 overall and trail the Brewers by 11.5 games in the NL Central. The Reds are 18-17 against other teams in the division and are in 3rd place. Today, they are on the road to take on the Pirates, and they are 31-34 at home this year.

As the road team, the Reds are 31-31 this season. They have been the favorite in 61 games, and they have a record of 32-29 in those games. As for their time as the underdog, the Reds are 30-36 this year. Cincinnati’s overall series record is 16-21-3, and they won their most recent series vs. the Blue Jays.

When the Reds win, they win big. Their average run margin in victories is a robust 3.8 runs per game, which has helped them to a 68-59 run line record. They’ve been especially profitable on the road, where they are 39-23 against the run line. They’ve also been a good bet as an underdog, going 41-25 against the run line in those games.

The Cincinnati Reds are on the road today against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than their season average of 9 runs per game. The over/under record for the Reds this season is 59-63, and their combined run average is 8.7 runs per game. Their over streak is currently at three games.

Cincinnati is sending left-hander Nick Lodolo to the mound today vs. the Pirates. Lodolo has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 9-5 with a 4.55 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Lodolo has a WHIP of 1.20 and opponents are batting .229 this season. In his last outing, Lodolo took the loss, giving up eight earned runs in 2 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had pitched well, going 6 innings and giving up just two earned runs in a win vs. the Marlins. Lodolo’s ERA at home is 7.57 compared to 3.11 on the road.

Elly De La Cruz has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Reds, going 5/17 in his last five games with four runs and four RBIs. For the season, he is batting .262 with 22 homers, which is 14th in the league and the top mark on the team. Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario are also among the league leaders in homers, with Steer having 19 and Candelario at 20. Steer comes into the game with a four-game hitting streak.

Overall, the Reds are averaging 4.5 runs per game and have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.6 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .231, which is 19th in the league, and are also one of the worst teams in terms of striking out.

Pirates Records & Stats

Pittsburgh is coming off a game in which they wasted several good performances. In their 1-0 loss to Texas, Domingo German was excellent on the mound, allowing no runs and just three hits. They also got a big offensive performance from Bryan Reynolds, going 2/4 with a double.

David Bednar took the loss out of the bullpen for the Pirates, as Pittsburgh allowed a run in the bottom of the 9th to blow their lead. Heading into this game, the Pirates were at +130 on the money line.

Pittsburgh will host the Reds with an overall record of 59-67, which has them 5th in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Brewers by 14 games in the division. The Pirates are 17-15 against other teams in the NL Central this year.

The Pirates lost two of three games to the Rangers in their most recent series. Currently, they are 3-7 over their last 10 games. At home, the Pirates are 29-32 this year compared to 30-35 on the road. So far, they have been the favorite 46 times, going 25-21 in those games. As for their matchups as the underdog, they are 34-46 this season. The Pirates’ overall series record is 16-19-5 heading into today’s game, which is the first of their series vs. the Reds.

The Pirates have been a good bet on the run line this season, going 72-54. They have been especially profitable on the road, where they are 40-25. They have been an underdog in most of their games, and in those contests, they are 54-26 on the run line.

When the Pirates play at home, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, and their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game. The Pirates’ over/under record for the season is 60-65, and their games have averaged 8 runs per game. In games with an over/under line set at 7.5 runs, the Pirates have gone over the total 9 times and under 16 times. Overall, 73% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, and their games have gone under the total in the last 3 games.

Paul Skenes has made 16 starts this season, and he has a record of 7-2 with an ERA of 2.30. Skenes’ WHIP for the season is .97. In his 16 appearances, he has turned in 12 quality starts. Skenes is coming off a start in which he gave up just two earned runs in six innings of work. He got the win in that outing vs. the Mariners. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings. Skenes has been much better at home, coming in with a 3.06 ERA compared to 1.71 on the road.

So far this season, the Pirates are averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 24th in the league. They have also been one of the league’s worst home run-hitting teams, and their team batting average of .234 is just 16th in the league. One area they have been solid is in terms of strikeouts, as they are 27th in the league in this category.

Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ top power threat this season, as he has 19 home runs and is batting .280. Oneil Cruz and Bryan De La Cruz have also been solid in terms of power, as they have 18 homers apiece. De La Cruz is batting just .240, and Cruz is at .262. Jared Triolo and Joey Bart have both homered twice in their last seven and six games, respectively.