Pirates vs Reds Prediction & MLB Odds For Sunday, September 22nd

From Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, we have the Pirates and Reds facing off in an NL Central matchup. This one gets started at 1:10 PM ET and is being televised by SN PT. The money line odds have the Pirates at -121 compared to the Reds at +103. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.

The forecast for Sunday’s matchup calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. Paul Skenes is starting for the Pirates, and the Reds are starting Hunter Greene. Both teams have won two straight, and the Reds are 4th in the NL Central, while the Pirates are 5th with a record of 72-83.

Betting Odds & Lines for this Game

• Spread: Pirates -1.5 (+135) | Reds 1.5 (-163)
• Total: 8
• MoneyLine: Pirates -121 | Reds +103

All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)

Pirates vs. Reds Prediction: Moneyline

Cincinnati cruised to a 7-1 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Reds had a huge 3rd inning, scoring all three of their runs. As for the Pirates, they scored their only run in the 9th. Heading into the game, the Reds were favored at -122 on the money line.

Rhett Lowder pitched well for the Reds in this one, going five innings and striking out four without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Jared Jones took the loss for the Pirates. Jones went five innings and gave up six runs.

One of the key performers for the Reds was Elly De La Cruz, who went 3/5 with a home run. He scored twice and drove in four runs. Ty France also had a two RBI game at the plate.

The Pirates are 72-83 overall, and they trail the Reds by 4.5 games in the NL Central. So far, they are 23-25 against other teams in the NL Central. Pittsburgh has dropped two straight games and have lost two straight on the road as well. Overal, they are 34-43 on the road and 38-40 at home.

As the road favorite this year, the Pirates are 11-7, and they are 34-28 when favored overall. As for their mark as the underdog, they are 38-55 this season. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 19-23-6, and they have dropped two straight series.

Cincinnati is 76-80 overall, and they are 12.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. The Reds are 4th in the division and trail the Cardinals by 2.5 games for the 3rd spot in the division. Cincinnati has gone 23-25 in divisional games this year.

The Reds have won two straight games, and they are 5-5 across their last 10. This season, the Reds are 39-41 at home compared to a 37-39 mark on the road. So far, they have been the favorite in 68 games, going 35-33 in those games. As the underdog, the Reds are 41-47 this season.

Pirates vs. Reds Prediction: Over/Under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road against the Cincinnati Reds today. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Pirates games this season is 8.7 runs, and their over/under record is 75-78. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 16-18. So far this season, 50.3% of their games have had over/under lines set at over 8 runs, while 27.7% have been set at under 8 runs.

So far this season, the Pirates are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They have been slightly better at home, putting up 4.3 runs per game, but on the road, they are averaging just 3.9 runs per contest. Overall, they are 23rd in home runs and have a team batting average of .236.

Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ top hitter this season, batting .276 with a team-high 22 homers and 85 RBIs. Oneil Cruz and Bryan De La Cruz are also near the top of the team’s home run and RBI charts. In terms of recent performances, Billy Cook has two homers in his last seven games but is batting just .250 over that stretch. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has gone 11/34 in his last eight games.

The Cincinnati Reds have played 111 games this season with over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, which accounts for 71.2% of their games. Their combined run average this season is 8.8 runs per game, and their over/under record is 73-76. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 7-12. The average over/under line for their games this season has been set at 9 runs.

Elly De La Cruz comes into the game with a six-game hitting streak and is batting .333 over his last nine games. During this stretch, he has two home runs and eight runs scored. For the season, he is batting .263 with a team-high 25 home runs and 74 RBIs, which is the 2nd best mark on the team. Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario are also tied for 2nd on the team with 20 homers.

Overall, the Reds are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They are also 14th in home runs and have the 19th best team batting average in the league. As a team, they have been striking out a lot, as they are 23rd in the league in this category.

Pirates vs. Reds Prediction: Spread

The Pirates are on the road against the Reds. They are 44-33 vs. the run line on the road this season and have a run line record of 82-73 overall. They have a losing streak vs. the run line of two games and have a run line record of 58-35 as the underdog. Their average run differential in winning games is +3.2 runs per game, while it is -3.6 runs per game in losses.

Right-hander Paul Skenes gets the start for the Pirates today as he faces the Reds on the road. Skenes has made 21 starts this year and has a record of 10-3 with a 2.07 ERA. In his 21 appearances, he has turned in 15 quality starts and is averaging 11.29 strikeouts per nine innings. Skenes’ WHIP for the season is .98. Most recently, he took the loss vs. the Cardinals, going six innings and giving up one earned run. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

The Reds have been a solid run line team this season, going 85-71 overall. They have been especially good on the road, going 47-29 against the run line. However, they have been below .500 at home against the run line, going 38-42. The Reds have been a better bet against the run line as an underdog, going 56-32, compared to when they are favored, going 29-39.

Hunter Greene has been pitching well for the Reds, coming into the game with a record of 9-4 and an ERA of 2.83. In his 24 starts, he has pitched one complete game and has 13 quality starts. Per nine innings, Greene is averaging 10.17 strikeouts and 3.33 walks. The last time he pitched, Greene picked up the win, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run. Looking back over his last three starts, he has given up a total of two earned runs. Opponents are batting just .179 off Greene this season.

Pirates vs. Reds Pick: Reds ML +103

With the Reds sitting at +103 on the money line, that is the direction we would recommend going in this one. Our predicted final score is 6-4 in favor of the Reds, giving you a few different ways you could look to play this one.

If you’re looking for a parlay, you could also look to take the over, as the line is sitting at 8 runs. However, we see this one finishing with a combined 10 runs, giving us a little more room for error by sticking with the Reds on the money line.