Baseball bettors look for value at PNC Park on Saturday as host Pittsburgh battles the Cincinnati Reds in baseball odds action.

Mike Leake, with a record of 0-3 on the season, gets the ball for the Reds, while the Pirates trot James McDonald to the mound in this one. He is 1-1 so far in 2012.



View Cincinnati vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Reds were listed as +-120 underdogs on the baseball moneyline at many online sportsbooks. The total was set at 8 before betting started earlier on Monday.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Pirates, most recently No. 12 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Reds, who rate a National League No. 13 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Pittsburgh's National League No. 16-ranked scoring average of 2.9 runs per game, against a Reds offense rated No. 8 and scoring 3.9 runs per game in the league. The Pirates have averaged 7.6 hits per game to date this season, less than the Reds hitters have managed (8 per nine innings).

Defensively, Cincinnati features the National League's No. 6-rated defense on the road, allowing 4 runs per game. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, comes in at No. 16 in the National League at home, scoring 2.3 runs per game.

The Reds were a 6-1 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Pirates. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Cincinnati at -145 on the moneyline, while the total score (7) was good news for UNDER bettors. Cincinnati got the job done in their last match in a 6-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Friday at PNC Park behind starter Johnny Cueto.




Cincinnati Reds Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Cincinnati are 7-3
After playing Cincinnati are 5-5
After a loss are 8-2

A few Reds at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Cincinnati is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games


Next up:
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 6