Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 8/23/24
From PNC Park in Pittsburgh, we have the Reds and Pirates facing off in an NL Central matchup. First pitch for Friday’s matchup is set for 6:40 PM ET. APLTV is carrying this one on TV.
Currently, the Reds are 62-66, while the Pirates are 60-67. Bailey Falter is starting for the Pirates, while the Reds are sending Andrew Abbott to the mound. Cincinnati is the slight money line favorite, and the odds have the over/under line at 8.5 runs.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS CINCINNATI REDS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates Moneyline -118
This game will be played at PNC Park at 6:40 ET on Friday, August 23rd.
HOW TO BET THE REDS VS PIRATES:
- We have the Pirates winning by a score of 6 to 5
- 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 11 runs and like the over
Pittsburgh cruised to a 7-0 win over the Reds in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 5th inning, scoring six of their seven runs. As for the Reds, they had their best chance to score in the 6th, but could only push across one run.
Paul Skenes started for the Pirates and picked up the win, going six innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with nine strikeouts but issued five walks. On the other side, Nick Lodolo got the start for the Reds and took the loss, giving up five earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work.
At the plate, the Pirates were led by Yasmani Grandal and Bryan De La Cruz, as they were the only two Pirates hitters to have more than one hit. Grandal, De La Cruz, and Bryan Reynolds each drove in two runs for Pittsburgh’s offense.
Reds Records & Stats
Cincinnati is 62-66 overall and 11.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Reds are in 4th place in the division, just a game behind the Cubs for 3rd place. So far, they are 18-18 in divisional matchups this year.
The Reds lost the first game of this series vs. the Pirates. At home, the Reds are 31-34 this year, and they have gone 31-32 on the road. As the road favorite, the Reds have put together a record of 12-5 this year, and they are 32-29 as the favorite overall. When tabbed as the underdog, the Reds are 30-37 this year, and their overall series record is 16-21-3.
When betting the Reds on the run line, it’s been more profitable to take them on the road, where they are 39-24 compared to 29-36 at home. Cincinnati has an average run margin of 0.2 runs per game this season, but that number jumps to 0.6 runs per game on the road. The Reds have been a better bet on the run line as the underdog, going 41-26 compared to 27-34 as the favorite. In their wins, they have an average run margin of 3.8 runs per game, while in their losses, that number drops to -3.3 runs per game.
The Cincinnati Reds are on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates today, with the over/under line set at 8.5 runs. The combined run average for Reds games this season is 8.7 runs, and their over/under record is 59-63. The average over/under line for Reds games is 9 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 15-11. So far this season, 62 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs, which accounts for 48.4% of their games. In 40 games, the over/under line has been set lower than 8.5 runs, making up 31.2% of their games.
Cincinnati is sending Andrew Abbott to the mound today vs. the Pirates, and he comes in with a record of 10-10 and an ERA of 3.72. This year, he has made 25 starts, and opponents are batting .233 off the left-hander. Abbott’s last outing came on August 18th, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One positive note for Abbott is that he has a WHIP of 1.30 this season. Looking at his home/road splits, he is 5-5 on the road with a 4.16 ERA compared to 4.12 at home.
Elly De La Cruz has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Reds, going 5/16 in his last five games with a home run and four runs scored. This has helped him move into the team lead in home runs this season, with 22. He is also 2nd on the team in RBIs, with 56. Overall, De La Cruz is batting .262. Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario are also near the top of the Reds’ home run leaderboard, but both are batting under .235 for the season.
As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. This is also the 9th best mark in the league. So far, they have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 4.5 runs per game. Currently, the Reds are batting just .230 as a team.
Pirates Records & Stats
Pittsburgh is 60-67 overall, putting them 5th in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Brewers by 13 games in the division. Overall, they are 18-15 against other teams in the NL Central. The Pirates picked up a game on the Reds in the division race with their win yesterday and now lead the Reds by 1.5 games.
At home, the Pirates are 30-32 this season, and they are 30-35 on the road. So far, they have been the favorite in 47 games, going 26-21 in those games. As for their matchups as the underdog, the Pirates are 34-46 this year. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 16-19-5.
The Pirates have been a solid run line bet this season, going 73-54 overall. They have been particularly good on the run line when they are the underdog, going 54-26. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.3, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.3.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is slightly higher than the Pirates’ season average of 8.4 runs per game. Pittsburgh has played 85 games this season, and 26 of those games have had an over/under line of 8.5 runs. The over has hit in 19 of those games, giving the Pirates a 26-19 over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs.
Bailey Falter gets the start for the Pirates today and is coming off a solid outing vs. the Mariners. In that August 17th start, he went 5 2/3 innings, giving up just two earned runs and picking up the win. Looking back further, Falter has made 21 starts this season and has a record of 6-7 with a 4.03 ERA. Opponents are batting .252 vs. the left-hander this season. Falter has a total of seven quality starts this year and a BB/9 figure of 2.6. For the season, he has allowed 13 homers.
So far this season, the Pirates are averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .234. Pittsburgh’s offense has been especially bad of late, as they have scored just 3.3 runs per game over their last seven games.
Bryan Reynolds has been a bright spot for the Pirates this season, as he is batting .282 with a team-leading 70 RBIs and 19 homers. Oneil Cruz and Bryan De La Cruz are also near the top of the Pirates’ home run leaderboard, as they both have 18 homers this season. Currently, Andrew McCutchen is on a six-game hitting streak for the Pirates.