The Pittsburgh Pirates (59-41) moved to within 4.5 games of St. Louis for the top spot in the National League Central standings after recording an emphatic victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. The streaking Pirates will look to cut that deficit even further when they square off with the Cincinnati Reds (45-54) in Game 1 of their four-game series later tonight.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this divisional matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Houston Astros.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds Preview
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
When: Thursday, July 30, 7:10 PM ET
Line: Pittsburgh Pirates (-160) at Cincinnati Reds (+145); total: 9.0 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates stretched their unbeaten run to three games with a 10-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. Francisco Liriano was solid once again for Pittsburgh, allowing three runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings of action. He is now 3-0 in his last six starts. The Pirates will look to keep the momentum going when they face the struggling Cincinnati Reds later tonight.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Starting for the Bucs in the series opener is right-hander A.J. Burnett (8-4, 2.68 ERA). The veteran took the loss in his last start on Saturday, giving up five runs on 11 hits over 5.2 innings while striking out eight. It’s the second straight start, and third in his last seven outings, in which Burnett has surrendered double-digit hits. He’s now allowed 11 earned runs on 22 hits over 11.2 innings in two second-half starts.
Burnett’s struggles are a complete surprise considering he was outstanding in the first half of the season. Even with his recent pitching woes, he is still 10th in the National League in ERA and seventh in winning percentage (.667). The Bucs need a solid start from Burnett if they are to extend their winning streak this evening. He is 6-1 in his last seven starts on the road.
Given Burnett’s erratic form of late, it’s crucial for the Pittsburgh hitters to deliver some timely runs tonight. Expected to lead the Bucs’ offense in this all-important ballgame is Andrew McCutchen. He went 2-of-4 yesterday with a homer and three RBIs. He leads the team in hits (103), RBIs (64), walks (51) and on-base percentage (.386) this season.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 in Burnett’s last five starts.
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Betting on the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds shut out the St. Louis Cardinals for the second straight night, winning 1-0 on Wednesday. Jay Bruce homered in the top of the second to back Anthony DeSclafani’s seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball. With the victory, the Reds finally ended their nine-series losing streak in St. Louis. It was also the first time since July 6 and September 2, 2011 that the Reds have won consecutive games at Busch Stadium.
The Reds will look to make it three wins in a row tonight when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. Starting for Cincinnati in the series opener is David Holmberg. This will be the left-hander’s first start on the major league stage this year. Holmberg was 7-6 with a 4.40 ERA at Triple-A Louisville. He went six innings and allowed one run on seven hits in his last start — a 7-4 victory over Columbus. He has allowed just four runs over 16 innings in his last three games.
Reds manager Bryan Price is confident Holmberg can make a solid start for Cincinnati tonight. Price said, “He’s coming off a really nice start. There’s a sense he’s made some progress that will make him a better option now than he was earlier in the year.” Holmberg was impressive in his short stint with Cincinnati last September, going 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in five games.
With Holmberg making his first start, though, the onus is on the Reds offense to provide some run support tonight. One guy who’s expected to carry the scoring weight for Cincinnati is Joey Votto. He leads the team in homers (16), RBIs (56) and hits (86) this season. He will fancy his chances against the Pirates in the series opener as he is 8-for-29 (.276) in his career against Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett with one homer and six RBIs.
The Reds are 3-7 in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Pittsburgh (-160) wins, 6-2.
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