Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 4/20/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

PNC Park is where the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-7) will try to defeat the Cincinnati Reds (7-10) on Thursday. The starting pitchers will be Luke Weaver and Roansy Contreras.

As a squad, the Cincinnati Reds are putting up 4.8 runs per game, which puts them at 11th in the league. They have accumulated 82 runs while having a team OBP of .329. The Reds have compiled 27 two-baggers as a team and have knocked 15 balls out of the park. They have tallied 79 RBI's as well as 136 base knocks for the year, while their average at the plate comes in at .243. Cincinnati is slugging .382 and have struck out 159 times, while being walked on 65 occasions.

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Their K/BB ratio is 2.41 and the pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.60. Reds pitchers have given up 19 home runs in addition to 90 total runs (22nd in MLB). Cincinnati has conceded 175 base knocks (10.6 per 9 innings) in addition to 87 earned runs. The Reds have a team ERA of 5.24 this year (25th in baseball), and their staff has rung up 154 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 64 batters and their FIP is 4.33 as a team over the course of the season.

The Reds bullpen have a save percentage of 50.0% and has stepped onto the mound in 19 save situations. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 46 runners over the course of the season and 30.4% of them crossed the plate. Reds bullpen pitchers have gone to the mound with opponents on base 26 times and also have had 27 appearances in high leverage situations. The Reds have sent 60 relievers to the hill on the season. The relievers are sitting with 9 holds for the season (14th in the league). They have tallied 4 saves over the course of the season and have blown 4 out of their 8 save opportunities.

The Cincinnati Reds have 448 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 133 assists and 9 errors. Their fielding rate sits at .985 which puts them in 19th in professional baseball, and have a total of 11 double plays. The Reds have turned 63.2% of balls in play into outs out of 1,344 innings on the diamond, ranking them 30th in pro baseball.

Weaver (24-36 win-loss mark in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 3.96 and he has gone up against 1,973 opposing batters in the major leagues. He has given up 483 hits (9.6 hits per nine innings) and has had 148 free passes. His earned run average is 4.79 (240 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.400. Weaver has taken the hill for 450 innings and has accumulated 462 K's during his MLB career.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are sitting with an on-base percentage of .325 in addition to a team batting average of .246 this year. They have struck out on 142 instances (23rd in baseball) and have tallied 149 hits. Pittsburgh has 23 long balls on the campaign as well as 80 runs batted in. The Pirates have a SLG% of .432 and they average 4.72 runs per outing (13th in MLB). They have 32 two-baggers, while getting a free base 70 times as well as scoring 85 runs.

The Pirates have a WHIP of 1.436 in addition to having a FIP of 4.43 as a squad for the year. They come in at 24th in MLB as a staff in total hits conceded with 160. The Pittsburgh pitching staff have given up 77 runs so far this season while having a team ERA of 4.16 (74 earned runs conceded). Their K/BB ratio comes in at 8.40 (150 strikeouts vs 70 walks). They have conceded 20 homers and they surrender 4.33 runs per 9 innings (13th in baseball).

Pittsburgh has had relief pitchers enter the game in 10 save chances and they have recorded 8 saves. They are ranked 6th in baseball holding a save percentage of 80.0%, and they have sent 57 relief pitchers to the mound on the campaign. Their relievers have stepped onto the hill 24 times in high leverage situations and on 15 occasions with base runners. Pittsburgh bullpen pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 21.7% out of their 23 inherited runners. Sitting with 25 save situations, the Pirates have amassed 14 holds and also 2 blown saves.

In 1,446 innings on the field, the Pirates have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 68.5% (18th in the majors). The Pittsburgh Pirates have turned 15 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .987 (12th in the majors). The Pirates have 141 assists, 8 errors and have notched a total of 482 putouts on the season.

During his pro baseball career, Contreras has conceded 103 hits while he has earned 101 strikeouts in 113 innings. Contreras (6-6 career record) is the owner of a 3.98 earned run average and has surrendered 8.2 hits per 9 innings. He has allowed 50 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.336 and a FIP of 4.2. His K/BB ratio is 2.10 and he has gone up against 489 opposing hitters during his MLB career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cincinnati

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