The Cincinnati Reds have been ice cold lately, going 2-8 in their last 10 games, which was resulted in them moving outside of a spot in the National League playoffs.
Luckily for them, they're still just 0.5 of a game back from the final wild card spot, so they're still very much in the mix. They could get back in a postseason spot today if they manage to get a couple of wins in today's double-header against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Let's take a look at the odds for the first of two games today and then I'll give you my best bet.
Reds vs. Pirates odds, run line, and total
Reds vs. Pirates prediction and pick
I'm surprised to see the Reds as underdogs in this spot. Brandon Williamson gets the start for the Reds today and he's played some fantastic baseball over the past month. In fact, dating back to July 1st, he sports a 3.19 ERA.
Even more important than his numbers is the fact that he's a lefty. The Pirates have struggled in a big way against lefties over the past 30 days, ranking 27th in OPS against left-handed pitchers over that time frame at .622.
Mitch Keller gets the start for the Pirates and his game has completely fallen apart lately. He has a 9.97 ERA over his past five starts, allowing eight earned runs in two separate games.
I think the Reds will be able to get to him once again and it will lead to a Cincinnati victory.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change