Wednesday's Reds vs. Pirates matchup features Hunter Greene for Cincinnati and Mitch Keller for the Pirates. First pitch from PNC Park is set for 12:35 PM ET. SN PT is carrying this game on TV, and the money line odds have the Reds at -101 compared to the Pirates at -117.
The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and the forecast for today's game in Pittsburgh is 77 degrees with cloudy skies. Both teams are 35-38, and the Reds are favored to win the NL Central, as they are +159 to win the division. The Pirates are 3rd in the division.
Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Reds at Pirates
- Where: PNC Park Pittsburgh
- Date: Wednesday, June 19th
- Betting Odds PIT -117 | CIN -101 O/U 8.5
Reds vs Pirates Last Game Recap
Cincinnati picked up a 2-1 road win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Reds had a two-run 5th inning, and the Pirates scored their only run in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Reds were favored at -125 on the money line.
Nick Lodolo pitched well for the Reds in this one, going seven innings and giving up just one run. He picked up a win in the game, while Alexis Díaz got the save. Bailey Falter had a good outing for the Pirates, going seven innings and giving up two earned runs.
At the plate, the Reds were led by Santiago Espinal, Jonathan India, and Luke Maile, as they were the only three Cincinnati hitters to have more than one hit. Ke'Bryan Hayes was the only Pirates hitter to have more than one hit.
Reds Preview
Currently 35-38, the Reds are looking to get above .500 as they trail the Brewers by eight games in the NL Central. Cincinnati has an overall series record of 8-13-2 and they are 9-9 in divisional matchups this season.
On the run line, the Reds have a 23-13 record on the road and 15-22 at home. Their over/under record is 31-39, with the under hitting in their last four games. The average combined run total in their games this season is 8.3 runs.
Hunter Greene has been pitching well for the Reds and comes into the game with a record of 5-2 and an ERA of 3.61. In his 14 starts, he has pitched one complete game and turned in five quality starts. Greene's WHIP for the season is currently 1.18. Looking back at his last outing, Greene picked up the win, going five innings and giving up two earned runs on five hits. He has won each of his last two starts. The right-hander has a record of 3-0 on the road this season with an ERA of 3.13.
Over his last eight games, Jeimer Candelario has been swinging a hot bat for the Reds, going 11/32 with three homers and nine RBIs. Candelario is also on a seven-game hitting streak heading into today's game. For the season, he is batting .252 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs, which is 2nd and 3rd on the team, respectively. Spencer Steer is also near the top of the Reds' home run leaderboard, as he has eight homers this season and is batting just .241.
As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 4.5 runs per game. Overall, they are batting just .227 and have a collective on-base percentage of .307. Their team slugging percentage of .374 is also one of the worst in the league.
Pirates Preview
As underdogs, the Pirates have a 22-21 record and are 13-17 when favored. Their overall series record is 9-10-4, and they are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Pittsburgh is 35-38 for the season, sitting in 3rd place in the NL Central, eight games behind the Brewers.
Against the run line, the Pirates are 41-32, including a 19-16 record at home and 30-13 as underdogs. Their average run margin in wins is +3.1, while in losses, it's -3.5. This season, the Pirates have played 72% of their games with total lines higher than today's 8.5-run line, and their O/U record is 35-37. The under has hit in their last three games.
Mitch Keller will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Cardinals, as he gets the start for the Pirates today. In that June 13th start, he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in six innings of work. Before that outing, Keller had picked up the win in three straight starts. His record for the season is 8-4, and he has an ERA of 3.36. Keller's WHIP for the season is 1.25, and opponents are batting .252 off the right-hander this year. So far, he has made eight quality starts and is averaging 8.19 strikeouts per nine innings.
Andrew McCutchen has been one of the Pirates' top power threats this season, as his 10 homers are the best mark on the team and 13th in the league. He has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/26 in his last seven games. Bryan Reynolds is also on a good stretch, hitting .364 over his last eight games and is batting .274 for the season.
As a team, the Pirates are averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 22nd in the MLB. Their team batting average of .231 is 18th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of on-base percentage and OPS. Pittsburgh's offense has been particularly bad at home, averaging just 3.9 runs per game.
Reds vs. Pirates Prediction: Reds ML -101
Our prediction for today's Reds vs. Pirates matchup is to take the Reds on the money line, with the payout currently sitting at -101. We have the Reds winning this one by a final score of 5-4.
Looking at today's starting pitchers, we do have Hunter Greene finishing with more strikeouts than Mitch Keller, as we have Greene finishing with eight and Keller with six. However, our projections have Keller finishing with a lower ERA than Greene.
