Raisel Iglesias (3-6, 3.81 ERA) and Francisco Liriano (9-7, 3.40 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Cincinnati Reds (57-79) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (81-55) at the Great American Ball Park. The Reds won the last game 3-1 and Cincinnati leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sep. 8 and can be seen on FSOH and RTPT.
Iglesias pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs, striking out 10 and walking three in a 7-4 defeat to the Cubs. Joey Votto (.318, 85 Rs, 27 HRs, 70 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Liriano went 5.0 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out four and walking five in a 5-3 defeat to the Brewers in his last outing. Andrew McCutchen (.302, 79 Rs, 20 HRs, 85 RBIs, 7 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday.
Pittsburgh takes on Cincinnati as a -133 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Reds have recorded an overall money line of -2,146 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 28-54. Within its division, Cincinnati has a 7-8 as the underdog and a 26-31 SU. The Reds have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.2 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.0 runs per game. The Reds are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits at home with an impressive 8.9 per game. Cincinnati leads the MLB in steals, swiping 120 bases. Turning to the pitchers, opponents have consistently been struck out by the Reds, who rank fifth in the NL in strikeouts per home game with 8.3.
Over in the other dugout, Pittsburgh is coming in with an overall money line of +1,628 and an impressive record of 63-32 as the favorite. They have played poorly as the favorite with a 16-18 record against fellow NL Central members, and a 5-5 record SU. Offensively, they average 4.2 runs per game, which is good for fifth in the NL. The Pirates are tough outs for opponents, ranking third in the NL with 9.3 hits per road game. Pittsburgh’s pitching staff is one of the top in the NL, with a 3.21 ERA.
The Reds have controlled the season series, 10-4. The Reds have a 12-19 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Liriano takes the mound. Iglesias (RHP) will be on the hill against the Pirates, who have a 66-41 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pit, O/U – Over
Notes
Pittsburgh recorded at least two errors for the 31st time this season.
The Reds are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Pirates have a 17-26 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Reds are 9-57. The Pirates have an 18-41 record when opponents outhit them.
Pittsburgh ranks near the bottom of the league at 21st when it comes to home runs, hitting 117 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top half at 11th with 144.
Ranking eighth, Cincinnati is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.64 per game. Pittsburgh ranks in the top five at fourth with 9.07.
Ranking 20th, Cincinnati is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.715). Pittsburgh ranks in the top half at 15th with an OPS of .721.
When the Pirates allow at least one home run, they are 33-33. When the Reds allow one or more homers, they have a 26-62 record.
