Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds Series Preview

The Cincinnati Reds will return home to Great American Ballpark on Friday for a three game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Their first game of the series is set to start at 6:40 p.m. The Cincinnati Reds come into this game as losers of nine of their last ten games. The Pirates haven’t been doing too much better, losing seven of their last ten.

The Reds have the worst record in baseball, and it’s not even close. They are 3-22 and the next closest team is the Kansas City Royals who have a record of 8-15. They are dead last in the NL Central and with the way they are playing, it is deservedly so. The Pirates have a record of 10-14 and are third in the divisional standings.

Let’s look ahead at Friday’s divisional matchup between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Expected Odds

The Cincinnati Reds are expected to be 1.5 run underdogs for this game even facing the struggling Pirates. This has been the story all season, and if you have bet with the other team on this line all season, you would be rich by now. Cincinnati, at 14.5 games back 26 games into the season, needs to show fans/bettors that they have turned a corner before rooting for their team again.

Ready to bet on (or against) the Cincinnati Reds in Ohio? Sign up for betJACK Training Camp here and start betting today!

Expected Pitching Matchup

Connor Overton is expected to get his second start of the season for the Reds. His first time out, he had an impressive outing, going 5.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits and three strikeouts. That brings his ERA to 1.69 which is much better than any of the other Reds starting pitchers. Overton might be key to the Reds breaking their current losing streak.

He will face right hander JT Brubaker who has not played exceptionally well for the Pirates this season. He is 0-2 with a 6.20 ERA and 21 strikeouts. His last outing he received a no decision, going five innings and giving up three runs. He will look to earn his first win of the season against the MLB worst Cincinnati Reds.

Reds Injury Updates

If the story for the Reds wasn’t bad enough, their list of key players on the team going down with injuries continues to increase. Joining Jonathan India on the IL is Joey Votto with covid and Luis Castillo who is experiencing right shoulder soreness. Castillo is expected to return May 9, but the other two are TBD based on progression

Nick Senzel and Tyler Naquin were both placed on the injured list on Wednesday and have not set a return date for either.

Expected Outcome

I am not too keen on taking the Cincinnati Reds in any betting anytime soon. I do think they will be able to squeak a win against the Pirates at home this weekend, but I would say you can count on them losing at least two out of three. I’m sticking with the Pirates and any opponent of the Reds, for that matter, until they can show me that they can go out and win some games.