Cincinnati Reds (7-11) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (12-7)
April 20, 2023 6:35 pm EDT
The Line: Pittsburgh Pirates -165 / Cincinnati Reds +140; Over/Under: +9
(Get latest betting odds)
The Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates meet in an NL Central division matchup in MLB action from PNC Park on Thursday. Let’s dive into the odds, starting pitching matchup, history and make a prediction for this game.
Odds
Pittsburgh is listed as a -165 home favorite while Cincinnati is a +140 road underdog. The total for this game is set at 9 runs.
Starting Pitching Matchup
Luke Weaver will make his season debut here and was 1-1 with a 6.56 ERA and 38 strikeouts last season. Roansy Contreras will start for the Pirates and is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts this season.
Matchup History
Cincinnati’s 3-1 win back on April 2nd, made it back-to-back wins for the Reds in this head-to-head matchup.
Trends
Cincinnati is 32-65 in their last 97 road games and 3-7 in their last 10 series-opening games while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 road games. Pittsburgh is 7-3 in their last 10 games against a team with a winning percentage below .400 and 4-1 in their last 5 games overall while the under is 4-1-1 in their last 6 division games.
Pick
I initially liked the Reds with Graham Ashcraft on the mound, but with the switch to Luke Weaver, I’m on Pittsburgh. Weaver will be eager to shake off a tough run the last year and a half, but he’s simply not a good pitcher and not one I’m going to trust against a Pirates team that’s been playing some decent ball as of late. Roansy Contreras is one of the bright arms the Pirates have going forward and I think he gets it done with a Pirates win in this one.
