With another big win yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates moved to within a single game of the St. Louis Cardinals for the NL Central lead with just three games remaining. The Pirates now begin their final series of the regular season on the road at Cincinnati, where the struggling Reds will look to end their disappointing season on a high.
Get ready for another exciting week of college football action with our list of the five best Week 5 games to watch, and read on for more on this all-important NL Central showdown.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati
When: September 26, 2014, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Pittsburgh Pirates (-135) at Cincinnati Reds (+125); total 7.0 – see all MLB lines
What’s at Stake
[sc:MLB240banner ]A Pirates win and a Cardinals loss would give the Pirates a share of the NL Central lead with just a couple of games to go.
A Pirates win coupled with a San Francisco Giants loss would also clinch homefield advantage for the Pirates in the NL Wild Card Playoff should they fail to chase down the Cardinals.
Betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their very impressive end to the regular season with a 10-1 shellacking of the Atlanta Braves last night. The Pirates improved to 8-2 in their last 10 games.
Pittsburgh’s previously dormant offense came to life against the Braves’ pitchers. They got on base nine times (five hits, four walks) and scored two runs against starter David Hale before blasting eight past the Braves bullpen.
Star centerfielder Andrew McCutchen continued his hot week with three more RBI last night, putting his overall tally in the four-game series against the Braves to two homers and six RBI. He leads a Pirates lineup that will be up against Reds pitcher Mike Leake, who has leaked his fair share of runs in his last few starts.
For the Pirates, pitcher Vance Worley makes his final regular season start tonight. The 27-year old right-hander has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the Pirates rotation this season. Through 16 starts, Worley has a 2.93 ERA, almost a full run lower than teammate and former No. 1 overall pick, Gerritt Cole.
Worley is coming off one of his best performances of the season, an eight-inning outing against the Brewers wherein he gave up just four hits and no runs and earned him his third-straight decision win.
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Betting on the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds have been absolutely atrocious on the road, where they’ve lost 17 out of their last 20 games. Good thing they’re ending their season at home. After grabbing two out of three against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Reds are now 5-1 in their last six at home and 10-5 in the last 15.
The Reds begin their season-ending series tonight at home against the Pirates. Cincinnati is 4-1 in its last five games against Pittsburgh.
The Reds offense has just fallen off a cliff in September, where it ranks in the bottom three in the league in runs (60), average (.212) and OPS (.604) for the month. But there’s still some pop in their big bats, with Jay Bruce, Devin Mesoraco and Todd Frazier all hitting two home runs this week.
Their offense will be under pressure to produce some runs, as starter Mike Leake is liable to give his share back. Leake’s ERA through four starts in September has ballooned to 7.71. And while he has a slightly less awful 4.70 ERA in his last nine starts, the Reds have won just two of those games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Reds connect on a few long bombs to sink the Pirates’ hopes of a division title. Take Cincinnati (+125) to win at home.
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