Cincinnati Reds (24-24) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (15-32)
Game Details: Monday, May 19, 2025 @ 6:40 pm EST
Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
N. Lodolo (L) vs. M. Keller (R)
Where to Watch: FS1
The Cincinnati Reds head to Pennsylvania to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cincinnati is coming off a sweep of the Cleveland Guardians. Great pitching and the hot bat of Will Benson led the team over the weekend. The Pirates continue to frustrate their fans with a lack of offense. They were swept by the Philadelphia Phillies, losing 1-0 in the finale despite a complete game from young phenom Paul Skenes. These two teams met at the beginning of April, with the Reds winning all three games. Will Cincinnati continue its dominance over Pittsburgh?
Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total Runs | Money Line |
| -1.5 (+142) | Over 8 (-110) | -118 |
 | +1.5 (-170) | Under 8 (-110) | -102 |
Apex Tale of The Tape
|
| Team Stats | |
| 4.62 | Runs/G | 3.07 |
| .242 | BA | .218 |
| .320 | OBP | .299 |
| .393 | SLG | .324 |
| .713 | OPS | .623 |
| 53 | HR | 33 |
| 52 | SB | 49 |
| 3.64 | ERA | 4.14 |
| 1.16 | WHIP | 1.29 |
| 8.41 | K/9 | 7.42 |
| .986 | Fielding Percentage | .983 |
| 14 | Saves | 8 |
Projected Starting Pitchers H2H
| Nick Lodolo | Player Stats | Mitch Keller |
| 3-4 | W/L | 1-5 |
| 3.42 | ERA | 4.15 |
| 52.2 | IP | 52.0 |
| 1.08 | WHIP | 1.33 |
| 42 | K | 43 |
| 9 | BB | 16 |
Key Stats
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds’ right fielder, Will Benson, has been playing out of his mind over the past week. In the past seven games, he is slashing .526/.591/1.368 with a double, five home runs, and 10 RBIs. He has also drawn three walks and only struck out four times. The rest of the team hasn’t done anything special. Superstar Elly De La Cruz is only hitting .261 in the last seven games. The Reds have won by manufacturing runs on the base paths and quality pitching.
Left-hander Nick Lodolo takes the mound for the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. In his last start against the Chicago White Sox, he threw for 5.1 innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs. Lodolo has made more starts on the road (5) than at home (4). Despite this, 15 of his 20 earned runs allowed have come at home. A road start against an inferior offense looks like a good matchup on paper.
Pittsburgh Pirates
It’s hard to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates offense right now. In the last seven games, left fielder Alexander Canario is hitting .400. The next closest teammate is batting .273 in that span. No one else on the team is batting above .250 over the past week. When they do get on base, they are in the top half of the league in stolen bases. They simply aren’t getting on base.
Right-hander Mitch Keller takes the mound in the series opening. In his last start against the New York Mets, he threw for 7.0 innings, giving up five hits, two earned runs, while striking out eight. In three starts this month, he has already given up nine earned runs over 18.0 innings pitched, striking out 17 batters and walking five.
Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
|
| Betting Stats | |
| 5-5 | W/L 10 | 3-7 |
| 27-21 | ATS | 18-29 |
| 18-29-1 | O/U | 17-27-3 |
Prediction
Vegas continues to give plus-odds for the Cincinnati Reds, which I am here for! I love the Lodolo in this spot, and the Reds are catching the Pirates in even more of a slump than they’ve been in all season. Cincinnati’s ability to manufacture runs even when its offense is struggling makes me more confident in their ability to score. They just swept a team that is struggling offensively, and Pittsburgh is struggling even more. I’ll take the plus-odds on the spread.
