How To Bet On The Pittsburgh vs Cincinnati MLB Odds

Posted by Aaron . on April 8, 2016 in

On Saturday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates visit the Cincinnati Reds in MLB betting action. The Pirates (3-0) are in first place in the NL Central and just completed a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to open the season, winning the final game on Wednesday, 5-1. They face the Reds on Friday night in the opener of this series before meeting again on Saturday afternoon. The Reds (3-0) are tied with the Bucs atop the NL Central, having just completed a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies, finishing off the series Thursday with a 10-6 win.

How To Bet On The Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds MLB Odds

When: Saturday, April 9, 2016, 1:10pm ET
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
TV: RTPT, FSOH
Radio: WLW 700 AM Cincinnati
Live Stream: MLB.tv
MLB Odds: TBA
Pitching Matchup: Gerrit Cole (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (PIT) vs Raisel Iglesias (0-0, 3.00 ERA) (CIN)

Why should you bet on the the Reds?

Obviously, a sweep of the Phillies is not as impressive as a sweep of the Cardinals, but the Reds have been raking so far this season, as Eugenio Suarez teed off for his first career grand slam in Thursday’s game, as part of an eight-run fourth inning. Raisel Iglesias is a starter with some room to grow; in his first start, he went six innings and allowed two earned runs while fanning seven batters. If he can put that kind of performance out there again versus the Pirates, the Reds have the offense to deliver the win in this one.

Why should you put your money on Pittsburgh?

Gerrit Cole has legitimate ace stuff, and the Pirate offense has been on fire as well since the season began. In Wednesday’s game, it was a three-run fourth inning that sent Cards pitcher Mike Leake to the showers, keyed by Francisco Cervelli’s two-run double. The Pirates had the second-best record in MLB last season and are flying a bit under the radar this year because of the huge buzz surrounding their NL Central rivals in Chicago. However, they are 3-0 for the first time in nine seasons and seem well on their way to meeting (or exceeding) their 98-win total from a year ago.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I like the combination of Iglesias’ stuff and a Reds offense hungry for some redemption after last year to put this game in the Reds’ win column. I’m predicting a 3-2 Cincinnati win.