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Paul Skenes hits the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they face the Cincinnati Reds. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Reds-Pirates prediction and pick.
Reds-Pirates Projected Starters
Nick Lodolo vs. Paul Skenes
Nick Lodolo (9-5) with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP
Last Start: Lodolo went just 2.1 innings in his last start, giving up eight hits, two walks, and a home run. He would surrender eight runs in a loss to the Royals.
2024 Road Splits: Lodolo is 5-1 in nine starts on the road with a 3.05 ERA and a .169 opponent batting average.
Paul Skenes (7-2) with a 2.30 ERA and a .97 WHIP
Last Start: Skenes went six innings in his last start, giving up three hits, four walks, and a home run. He would surrender two runs in a win over the Mariners.
2024 Home Splits: At home this year, Skenes is 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA and a .228 opponent batting average.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Reds-Pirates Odds
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-176)
Moneyline: +124
Pittsburgh Pirates: -1.5 (+146)
Moneyline: -146
Over: 7.5 (+100)
Article Continues Below
Under: 7.5 (-122)
How to Watch Reds vs. Pirates
Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT
TV: BSOH/SNP
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Reds Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Reds are 14th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 28th in batting average, 25th in on-base percentage, and 15th in slugging. Spencer Steer has led the way this year. He is hitting .234 on the year with 18 home runs and 77 RBIs. Further, he has stolen 20 bases with 62 runs scored. Jeimer Candelario is also having a solid year. He is hitting .225 on the year with 20 home runs and 56 RBIs. He has also scored 47 times in the year. Elly De La Cruz rounds out the best bats of the year. He is hitting .258 on the year with 21 home runs and 53 RBIs. Further, he has stolen 59 bases and scored 79 times this year.
Jonathan India comes into the game hot. He is hitting .364 in the last week with two home runs, five RBIs, and three runs scored. He is also getting on base at a .462 rate. TJ Friedl has also been hot. He is hitting .286 in the last week with three home runs, three RBIs, and four runs scored. Rounding out the hottest bats is Tyler Stephenson. He is hitting .300 in the last week with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored.
Current Reds have 18 career at-bats against Paul Skenes. They have hit just .222 against him. Spencer Steer is 2-3 with a double and an RBI. Further, Elly De La Cruz is 2-3 with a double as well. No one else on the Reds currently has a hit against Skenes, but Jake Fraley has drawn a walk.
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pirates are 23rd in the majors in runs scored while sitting 23rd in batting average, 27th in on-base percentage, and 26th in slugging. Bryan Reynolds leads the way. He is hitting .278 this year with a .345 on-base percentage. He has 19 home runs and 69 RBIs. Further, he has scored 55 times this year. Oneil Cruz has also been solid this year with a .262 batting average and a .320 on-base percentage. He has 18 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 56 runs scored. Andrew McCutchen rounds out the best bats of the year. He is hitting .235 with a .336 on-base percentage. He has 16 home runs and 40 RBIs, which is 59 times this year.
Jared Triolo has been great in the last week. He is hitting .286 in the previous week with a .440 on-base percentage. He has two home runs, five RBIs, and two runs scored in the last six games. Joey Bart has been great in the last week. He is hitting .350 in the previous week. He had two home runs, four RBIs, and five runs scored in previous previous week. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has also been solid in previous the last week. He is hitting .29previous theprevioust week with a .320 on-base percentage. Kiner-Falefa has a home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored this past week.
Current Pirates have 33 career at-bats against Nick Lodolo. They have hit .242 against him. Bryan Reynolds has had the most success. He is 4-9 with a double against Lodolo. Meanwhile, Oneil Cruz is 2-6 with an RBI. Connor Joe also has an RBI against Lodolo. He is just 1-5 with a walk and an RBI.
Final Reds-Pirates Prediction & Pick
While Nick Lodolo has been solid on the road this year, and solid overall, he is not nearly as good as Paul Skenes. Skenes has been great all season. Further, the Pirates are hitting just as good as the Reds as of late. With Skenes on the mound, and the Reds struggling some at the plate, take the Pirates in this one.
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Final Reds-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Pirates ML (-146)
