Charlie Morton is the probable starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday afternoon as they continue their NL Central series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Morton is 7-4 with a 3.14 ERA on the season, and in 13 career starts against the Reds he's 5-6 with a 3.97 ERA. The righthander faced the Cubs in his most recent outing, throwing seven shutout innings while giving up three hits.
Bronson Arroyo will take the mound for Cincinnati, and he'll carry a 14-11 record into the contest.
View Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds Odds and Stats.
Those who planned on backing the visitors in this one found the Pirates listed as underdogs of 127 at most sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. Total bettors saw the number open in the area of 7.5, check for updates at Sportsbook.
This game puts the Reds, most recently No. 5 in Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Pirates, who rate a No. 20 in the latest survey.
Pittsburgh won its last outing, a 4-1 result against the Reds on September 27. Bettors who backed the Pirates at +122 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. The Pirates enjoyed a 4-1 victory at the expense of the Reds on Friday, with A.J. Burnett throwing 8 innings of 5-hit ball at Great American Ball Park.
How They Match Up:
On offense, it's a battle between Cincinnati and its No. 11-rated batting order, averaging 4.33 runs per nine innings, against the No. 20 lineup of the Pirates at 3.89 runs per outing.
Defensively, Pittsburgh features the No. 6-rated defense on the road, allowing 3.86 runs per game. Cincinnati, meanwhile, comes in at No. 14 at home, scoring 4.25 runs per game.
A few Pirates at Reds trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 5-1-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 2-4-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Cincinnati
Pittsburgh is 3-7-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Cincinnati is 2-4-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 6 games
Next up:
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, Sunday, September 29th
