Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds MLB Picks, Odds, Predictions 9/16/21

The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates meet Thursday in MLB action at PNC Park. The Reds need a win here to snap a four-game losing streak. The Pirates look for a win after winning six of their last eight games.

The Cincinnati Reds have scored nine runs in their last three games and four or more runs in five of their last seven games. The Reds have split their last 10 games when scoring four or more runs. Nick Castellanos leads the Reds with 148 hits and 82 RBI while Jesse Winker and Jonathan India have combined for 257 hits and 136 RBI. Tyler Mahle gets the ball, and he is 11-5 with a 3.73 ERA and 188 strikeouts this season. Mahle is 3-3 with a 3.43 ERA and 40 strikeouts in his career against the Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have scored 13 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in six of their last nine games. The Pirates have won five straight games when scoring four or more runs. Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 152 hits and 86 RBI while Kevin Newman and Jacob Stallings have combined for 192 hits and 85 RBI. The Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t list a starting pitcher at the time this article was published.

The Reds are 5-0 in their last 5 Thursday games and 1-4 in their last 5 during game 3 of a series. The Pirates are 17-61 in their last 78 during game 3 of a series and 1-5 in their last 6 Thursday games. The under is 6-2 in Reds last 8 overall. The over is 13-3 in Pirates last 16 Thursday games. The Reds are 8-21 in the last 29 meetings in Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have nothing to play for, but they’re finishing the season strong and have put themselves in a spot worthwhile in the underdog role. However, the Reds can’t continue to lose and Mahle has been great on the road. Mahle has a 1.97 ERA and .189 allowed batting average on the road this season through 91.1 innings. Mahle is the guy to right the ship for the Reds. Give me the road team.