Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction, 4/1/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds

Date: Saturday, April 1, 2023

Location: Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (+105) Cincinnati (-125)

Great American Ball Park is where the Cincinnati Reds (62-100 last season) will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (62-100 last year) on Saturday. The line on this matchup has the Pirates at +105 and the Reds are sitting at -125. The total is 8.5. The men taking the mound will be Rich Hill and Nick Lodolo.

As a unit, the Pittsburgh Pirates put up 3.7 runs per outing, which had them at 27th in the league. They had 591 runs scored and held an OBP of .291. The Pirates accounted for 221 two-baggers as a team and smacked 158 baseballs out of the park. They amassed 555 runs batted in and 1,186 hits in the prior season, and their average at the plate was at .222. Pittsburgh had a slugging % of .364 and struck out 1,497 times, while being walked on 476 occasions.

Get all of our Free MLB Picks

The Pirates held a team ERA of 4.66 over the course of the prior season (26th in MLB), and their staff struck out 1,250 hitters. Their pitching staff walked 586 opposing players and their FIP was 4.27 as a team for the prior year. Their K/BB ratio was 2.13 and their pitching staff had a collective WHIP of 1.42. Pirates pitchers gave up 164 home runs and 817 runs in total (28th in baseball).

Pirates bullpen pitchers stepped onto the hill with runners on base 150 times in addition to having 157 games in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers accumulated 70 holds for the prior year (23rd in MLB). The Pirates bullpen had a save percentage of 54.1% and entered the game in 135 save situations. They compiled 33 saves last year and missed out on 28 of their 61 save opportunities. The relief pitchers inherited 226 runners last season with 38.1% of those runners ended up scoring. The Pirates dispatched 504 relievers to the mound last year.

The Pirates turned 67.7% of balls in play into outs out of their 12,789 innings, which had them sitting at 27th in professional baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates accounted for 4,263 putouts last year, in addition to 1,507 assists and 121 errors. Their fielding rate was at .979 which had them sitting 30th in baseball, and accumulated 152 double plays.

Hill has taken the hill for 1,259 innings and has 1,294 strikeouts in his pro baseball career. Hill (82-59 record in his career) has a FIP of 3.98 while going up against 5,279 opposing hitters during his time in the majors. His earned run average is 3.85 (538 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.229. He has conceded 1,065 base hits (7.6 hits per 9 innings) and has 482 free passes.

Cincinnati knocked in 156 long balls for the prior year to go along with 618 RBIs. They hit 235 doubles, while walking 452 times and recording 648 runs. The Cincinnati Reds held an OBP of .304 in addition to a team batting average of .235 last year. The Reds had a slugging percentage of .372 and they scored 4.00 runs per contest (23rd in the league). They were rung up on 1,430 occasions (8th in the league) and were sitting with 1,264 hits.

The Reds had a team WHIP of 1.390 with a FIP of 4.59 as a team for the prior year. Their K/BB ratio came in at 2.31 (1,414 strikeouts vs 612 walks). They were ranked 22nd in the league as a staff in total hits given up with 1,366. They conceded 213 HR's and they gave up 5.15 runs per 9 innings (27th in MLB). The Cincinnati pitching staff surrendered 815 runs in the previous season while having an ERA of 4.86 (768 earned runs yielded).

Cincinnati relief pitchers held an inherited score rate of 34.6% out of their 257 inherited runners. Their relievers stepped onto the mound 145 times in high leverage situations in addition to 167 occasions with runners on base. Wrapping up the year with 114 save situations, the Reds recorded 60 holds and also 22 blown saves. They were ranked 21st in baseball with a save percentage of 58.5%, and they sent 574 relievers onto the diamond last year. Cincinnati called on relievers to step onto the mound in 53 save opportunities and they converted 31 saves.

Out of their 12,810 innings on the diamond, the Reds earned a efficiency on defense of 68.9% (22nd in baseball). The Cincinnati Reds turned 115 double plays and held a fielding percentage of .986 (13th in pro baseball). The Reds had 1,296 assists, 81 errors and had 4,270 putouts in the previous season.

In his MLB career, Lodolo has given up 90 base knocks while tallying 131 strikeouts in 103 frames. Lodolo (4-7 career record) has a 3.66 ERA while giving up 7.8 hits per 9 innings. He has allowed 42 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.248 and a FIP of 3.9. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.36 and he has faced 441 batters thus far in his career.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cincinnati (-125)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here