Holding the second best record in baseball at this stage of the season usually means that you are in possession of the division title and a playoff spot. That is unless you play in the best division in baseball, in which case you and your MLB lines fans are going to have to settle for the Wild Card game. That is what the Pittsburgh Pirates are facing, as they will square off against the Chicago Cubs, also from their division, next week. They will finish the season with 3 games at home to the Cincinnati Reds, starting on Friday.
Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Game Information
Date/Time: Friday, October 02, 2015 7:05 PM ET Venue: PNC Park Opening Line: Pittsburgh -250, Cincinnati +235
Hey, Arquimedes pic.twitter.com/LGX3vlO5uw
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 30, 2015
You really do have to feel some level of sympathy for the Pirates (96-63), as their season record should be good enough to have them avoiding the dreaded one game play in. To make matters worse, they are likely going to have to face Jake Arrieta of the Cubs next week, which is usually something of a death sentence. The Pirates saw their slim division hopes shut down by the Cardinals on Wednesday, as they fell 11-1. They are going to have to find a way to pick themselves up and dust themselves off heading into the weekend, as the last thing you want to do is head into the postseason on a bit of a slump.
That is not likely to happen against the woeful Reds, though, even if the Pirates do decide to give some guys a rest. Francisco Liriano (12-7, 3.27 ERA) has only lost 1 of his last 10 starts.
It seems a little unfair to totally dismiss the Reds (63-95) until of course you look at their current run of form. If they lose to the Cubs on Thursday afternoon, which is indeed a distinct possibility, they will be coming into this series on a 12-game losing skid. The Reds have only managed to pick up 9 wins in the month of September, the majority of which came in the early part of the month. The bats have gone stone cold, and they have scored 2 or less runs in 7 of the 11 losses in their current skid.
That does not bode well when you are about to face a team that has power all through their line-up. Keyvius Sampson (2-6, 6.46 ERA) will be on the mound for the Reds.
Key Betting Trends
- Cincinnati is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Pittsburgh
- Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
- Cincinnati is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
- Pittsburgh is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Cincinnati
- Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
