GAME:  #959 Pirates @ #960 Reds
DATE:    8/13/2020 – 5:10p EST
ODDS:   Pirates +158 / Reds -173
O/U:        9

The Cincinnati Reds (8-10) host the Pittsburgh Pirates (3-13) at Great American Ball Park in Ohio. The Reds lost their last game to Kansas City, 4-5 and the Pirates lost their last game to the Tigers, 1-2 on August 9th. The Pirates have Trevor Williams starting and the Reds have Anthony Desclafani getting the start. 

WEATHER (baseball-weather.com)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

The Pirates have Trevor Williams the right-hander getting the start today. Williams is 0-3 and has a 3.52 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP. Williams has thrown in 15.1 innings and has given up 12 hits, 7 runs, 2 home runs, 5 walks, and 14 strikeouts. The Pirates team has a career batting average of .322 against the Reds’ Desclafani with 6 players hitting over .300 including Josh Bell with a .353. 

CINCINNATI REDS

The Cincinnati Reds have righty Anthony Desclafani on the bump for this game. Desclafani is 1-0 on the season with a 0.00 ERA in 11 innings pitched in 2 games. Descalfani has given up 5 hits and 1 walk. The Reds have a career batting average of .315 against the Pirates, Trevor Williams with Joey Votto’s .400 avg, and leading the team in at-bats.

BATTER VS PITCHER  (dailybaseballdata.com)

STARTING LINEUPS (baseballpress.com)

INJURY REPORT (covers.com)

TRENDS (covers.com)

PIRATES

• Over is 7-0 in Williams’ last 7 starts during game 1 of a series.
• Pirates are 0-4 in Williams’ last 4 starts as a road underdog.

REDS

• Under is 4-0 in DeSclafanis last 4 home starts.
• Reds are 0-5 in DeSclafanis last 5 Thursday starts.

HEAD TO HEAD

• Pirates are 20-8 in the last 28 meetings.

PIRATES vs REDS PREDICTION

The Reds have lost 5 of their last 8 games. The Pirates haven’t played since August 9th which should have them rested and well prepared. The Reds have had tough series after tough series and it appears the Royals wore them down after they handled the Brewers quite easily. The Reds have been trending downwards while the Pirates were starting to put up runs, scoring 19 runs in their previous 3 games.  There is a lot of value with Pittsburgh in this matchup. The Bookie is rolling with the Pirates while the public is pounding the Reds and Sharps are also on the Pirates. 

The Bookie:         Pirates
Fade the Public:  Pirates
Sharp Action:     Pirates

1 Unit to win 1.58 Units on:  (#959) Pittsburgh +158