Pirates vs. Reds Pick
Are the Cincinnati Reds or the host Pittsburgh Pirates going to win the series finale? First pitch is at 1:35PM EST.
The sports book Bovada.lv has made the Pirates a -130 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Reds are a +110 underdog, while the over-under is set at 9.
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Sal Romano (4-5, 4.91 ERA) draws the start for Cincinnati, while Pittsburgh goes with Trevor Williams (5-7, 4.37). Romano has a 1.52 WHIP with 49 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings. He gave up three earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks his last time out, a 14-4 home win over the Mets. Williams comes in with a 1.34 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 127 2/3 innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks over five innings in a 6-1 loss at the Cubs his last start.
Cincinnati has a 58-78 record on the season and is 25-42 on the road, while Pittsburgh is 64-72 and 36-32 on the road. The Reds have won six of the last 10 meetings and the total has gone under six times.
Pittsburgh won Saturday’s game 5-0 to snap a five-game losing skid. Jameson Taillon threw six shutout innings, while A.J. Schugel earned the win in relief. Jordan Luplow was 2-for-4 with the first home run of his MLB career, driving in three runs. Starling Marte was 3-for-5 with an RBI, while David Freese went 2-for-3 with a run. Michael Lorenzen took the loss for Cincinnati in relief. Billy Hamilton had a single and a double, while Scooter Gennett also manufactured two hits.
Williams has been adequate in most recent starts and the Pirates will at least want to play well in front of the home fans if for no other reason during a lost season. Romano is a rookie trying to figure it out and this is a good opportunity for Pittsburgh to tag him.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: PITTSBURGH PIRATES -130