I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news here people but we have to be realistic. We’re quickly running out of baseball games we can bet in the middle of the day on a weekday. Soon, we will have to either bet soccer or wait until the sun goes down to get action. Luckily, that day is not here yet since we have the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at 12:30pm ET on MLB Network. Obviously getting down on this game is a must and I think we should go with a same game parlay.
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Tie 0-0 First Inning (-150)
Cincinnati Reds -3.5 (+225)
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds over 8.5 (-110)
Parlay odds: +922
Tie 0-0 First Inning (-150)
These 2 teams aren’t scoring in the first inning of this game. The Reds need this one worse than anyone can imagine and they are sending Luis Castillo to the bump to get it. He was dominant last time out against the Los Angeles Dodgers running his streak to 3 games without giving up a run in the first frame. On the other side, we have a guy named Connor Overton throwing for the Pirates. Is he good? Who really knows? Who really cares though? What we do know about him is he hasn’t given up a run in 11.2 innings pitched this season. This is definitely a bullpen game because the Overton kid isn’t stretched out yet so he is likely to come in hard and heavy. I think we’ll see both teams go 1-2-3 in the first inning.
For more on this one, check out our full game preview for Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds -3.5 (+225)
Just because these teams won’t score in the first inning doesn’t mean the Reds won’t eventually break it open. They need this. Overton is not going very deep in this game and when he comes out, we should see some runs. The Pirates’ bullpen is middle of the pack in terms of ERA over the last week but they are walking guys at a troubling rate. Over the last week, only 6 bullpens in MLB have walked more batters than Pittsburgh’s. Putting guys on base against the Reds is problematic as they are a top-10 dinger hitting team in MLB on the season. They could be a mistake or 2 away from hanging crooked numbers on the board. The wind is blowing out to right center at about 16 mph so the margin for errors is small. I think the Reds could hang 10+ today.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds over 8.5 (-110)
If I really think the Reds could hang 10+ today (I really do) then obviously this game will go over 8.5. That’s just how numbers work. It’s possible that the Pirates get to Castillo for a couple but for this one we are just rooting for a Cincinnati Reds beatdown. There should be at least 5 lefties in the Reds’ lineup and we already know the wind is taking everything hit to right field with it. If the Pirates’ bullpen continues their walking ways, the Reds will get on base because they are a team that is top-10 in base on balls this season. Baserunners can easily turn into runs in an environment like today’s.
Don’t forget to read our three-team mega parlay for today’s MLB slate (+1212 odds!)
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