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Two teams looking to next season will go head-to-head on Saturday night when the Cincinnati Reds head to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates at PNC Park for game two of a three-game series.
Date/Time: Saturday, August 20, 4:10 P.M. ET
Venue: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: FOX
Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Lines
Money Line: Cincinnati Reds -110 / Pittsburgh Pirates -110
Spread: Cincinnati Reds -1.5
Over/Under: 8.5
The Cincinnati Reds (60-64) have been one of the biggest disappointments in baseball in 2011, and the second half of the season has been even rougher on them than the first. Now, the club looks to next season and how they can improve their team, but still want to finish the year strong and respectable.
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They will continue their pursuit of respectability on Saturday night when they go head-to-head with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team on the up as of late and a pitcher that has the skills to shut down any club, especially the offensively-handicapped Reds.
Right hander Charlie Morton (9-6) will take the mound for the Pirates, and he is as hot as he has ever been in his young career. In Morton’s last three games, he has only allowed one run, dominating opposing defenses. In his last start, he went 7.1 innings and allowed that one run for an ERA of 1.23. And against the Reds, he has an astounding ERA of, get this, 0.39.
The Reds will put Dontrelle Willis (0-3) on the mound against the Pirates. Willis has been nothing but streaky through the season; in his last game he went 2.2 innings for an ERA of 13.50, and before that he went eight innings against the San Diego Padres. If the Reds want any chance of winning this game, Willis will have to find consistency, and this might be the perfect time for him to do so.
The Pirates’ offense is quite pedestrian. They have a few bright spots in center fielder Andrew McCutchen (17 home runs and 71 RBIs) and 2nd baseman Neil Walker, but have holes up and down their lineup. The offense, as a whole, is ranked 26th in batting average and on-base percentage, 27th in runs and 28th in slugging.
The odds makers have the Cincinnati Reds as a -1.5 point favorite with an run total of 8.5.
The Reds’ hitting has faired better so far this season, but still lacks the consistency and depth it takes to be successful against top-tiered pitchers. Right fielder Jay Bruce and 1st baseman Joey Votto are the leaders of the team having combined for 46 home runs, but the team needs another bat to step up if they want to be in contention in the future.
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Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends:
- The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Cincinnati’s last 13 games on the road
- Cincinnati is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- Cincinnati is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends:
- The total has gone OVER in 13 of Pittsburgh’s last 19 games
- Pittsburgh is 4-15 SU in its last 19 games
- Pittsburgh is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games at home
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