The Reds continue their NL Central road trip, while the Pirates begin a lengthy stretch against division opponents.
Thursday’s matchup between these clubs starts a four-game series in Pittsburgh. The Pirates dropped the past two games against the Giants, while the Reds took two of three from the Cubs.
Pittsburgh is a -171 moneyline favorite, and Cincinnati is +140 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under seven runs.
Here’s my prediction and pick for Thursday’s Pirates vs. Reds matchup.
Pirates vs. Reds prediction
This is quite the pitching duel as Paul Skenes takes the mound against Brady Singer. Singer, a 29-year-old in his first season with the Reds, isn’t an ace by any means, but he’s been excellent in recent starts.
He pitched six shutout innings against the Braves in his last outing and allowed one earned run over 7.1 frames against the Rays in the game prior. If the hot streak continues, this could be an extremely low-scoring affair.
Skenes’ dominance goes without saying. He’s established himself as perhaps the best pitcher in baseball just two seasons into his career. He leads the majors with a 2.02 ERA through 138 innings despite having a rough last outing.
Skenes allowed four earned runs through five innings against the Rockies, increasing his ERA from 1.83 to 2.02. He shouldn’t have back-to-back tough outings, even though the Reds average 4.53 runs per game (11th in the majors).
The Pirates rank last in runs per game with 3.54, so Singer should have a relatively easy time cruising through the lineup.
Pirates vs. Reds pick, best bet
Singer and Skenes are on two different skill levels, but they’ll both be excellent to kick off the series.
The Reds are facing perhaps the best pitcher in baseball, while the Pirates are going against a solid starter on a good streak. Additionally, Pittsburgh is not good offensively, making this an even easier outing for Singer.
Under seven runs is the play for this one.