Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds, 7/21/18 Predictions & Preview
After the two teams combined to score 13 runs (most of the production coming from Pittsburgh) on Friday night, will the Pirates and Reds push the combined score over the total again on Saturday night?
Game Snapshot & Odds
959 Pittsburgh Pirates at 960 Cincinnati Reds; 9.5 runs
Saturday, July 21, 2018
7:10 p.m. ET, Target Field
TV: PIT (ATTP); CIN (FSO)
Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Reds as a -120 favorite. As of this writing, 67% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Reds to beat the Pirates on the moneyline.
Pirates’ Kingham whiffs nine in win over Brewers
Nick Kingham pitched well in Friday’s victory over the Brewers, racking up nine strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball. The right-hander scattered five hits and a walk in the contest. Two of those five hits — to Travis Shaw and Brandon Woodruff — wound up leaving the yard. The 26-year-old hueler has been inconsistent in his nine starts with the Pirates, but there’s no denying that the talent is there. He now sports a 4.26 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 51/12 K/BB ratio in 50 2/3 innings on the season. He’s currently owned in only 11 percent of all Yahoo leagues and could be a helpful streaming option in the second half, given his contributions in strikeouts.
Reds’ DeSclafani lit up for six earned runs in loss to Cardinals
Anthony DeSclafani was lit up for six earned runs over just 3 1/3 innings Sunday in a loss to the Cardinals. St. Louis pounced for one run in the bottom of the first inning, one more in the bottom of the second, and then poured on four runs in the bottom of the fourth. DeSclafani gave up five total hits, including two home runs. He walked one and struck out three. The 28-year-old right-hander closes the first half with a 4-2 record, 5.32 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 35/13 K/BB ratio in 44 innings.
MLB Betting Trends
Pittsburgh
The Pirates have lost five of Kingham’s last seven starts overall.
Cincinnati
The Reds are just 11-25 in their last 36 games when played on Saturday.
Prediction:
The under is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings between these two teams but with the way both clubs are swinging the bats I see value in the over. The over is 6-1 in DeSclafani’s last seven home starts and is 9-2-2 in his last 13 outings after allowing five runs or more in their previous game. On the other side, the over is 6-0 in the Pirates’ last six road games versus a right-handed starter.
The Pick: Pirates/Reds over 9.5
