Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 5/21/2025 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Cincinnati (-144) Pittsburgh (+120)

The Cincinnati Reds (25-24) are headed to PNC Park on Wednesday where they will try to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates (15-33). The odds on this game have Cincinnati at -144 and Pittsburgh opens at +120. The betting total comes in at 8. The pitchers expected to start will be Brady Singer and Andrew Heaney.

The Reds have earned 87 doubles as a unit and have smacked 53 baseballs out of the stadium. Cincinnati has a slugging rate of .397 and have been called out on strikes 444 times, while being walked on 172 occasions. As a unit, the Cincinnati Reds are notching 4.6 runs per game, which puts them at 11th in baseball. They have accumulated 219 RBI's and 403 hits so far this season, while their average at the plate is .245. They have 227 runs and have an OBP of .321.

Get all of our MLB Expert Picks

The Reds hold a team ERA of 3.53 this season (9th in baseball), and the staff has rung up 407 batters. Reds pitchers have yielded 55 home runs and 191 runs in total (12th in the league). They have walked 146 opposing batters and their FIP is 4.00 as a team this year. Cincinnati has surrendered 359 base hits (7.4 per 9 innings) and 171 earned runs. They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 2.79 and their pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.16.

The Reds have dispatched 166 relief pitchers to the hill over the course of the season. The relief pitchers have inherited 52 runners on the year with 30.8% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. They have earned 14 saves on the year and have blown 6 out of their 20 save opportunities. The Reds relievers have recorded a save percentage of 70.0% and have entered the game in 62 save situations. The relief pitchers have accumulated 40 holds on the year (1st in the league). Reds pitchers have entered the contest with runners on base 34 times in addition to having 46 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Reds have transformed 73.0% of baseballs in play into outs out of their 3,924 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 1st in professional baseball. The Chicago White Sox have a tally of 1,308 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 375 assists and 24 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .986 which is 14th in the majors, and have a total of 23 double plays.

Singer has thrown 731 innings and has earned 688 punch outs during his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 4.33 (352 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.326. He has surrendered 738 base hits (9.1 hits per nine innings) and has had 232 free passes. Singer (41-46 mark in his career) holds a FIP of 4.27 while he has gone up against 3,132 batters during his time in the major leagues.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have tallied a team on-base percentage of .296 as well as a team batting average of .216 for the year. They have been called out on strikes on 422 instances (6th in the league) and have totaled 342 base knocks. Pittsburgh has tallied 33 home runs this season to go along with 139 runs batted in. The Pirates have a slugging percentage of .320 and they earn 2.96 runs per game (30th in MLB). They have hit 51 two-baggers, while walking 165 times and putting up 142 runs.

The Pirates hold a team WHIP of 1.279 and are the owners of a FIP of 3.87 as a team over the course of the season. Their K/BB ratio is 7.50 (354 strikeouts vs 157 bases on balls). They are sitting at 18th in the league as a staff in total hits given up with 388. They have given up 39 homers and they yield 4.44 runs per 9 innings (17th in the league). The Pittsburgh pitching staff have yielded 210 runs on the campaign while having an ERA of 4.12 (195 earned runs conceded).

Pittsburgh has called on relievers to step onto the hill in 17 save chances and they have come away with 8 saves. They are ranked 27th in the league with a save rate of 47.1%, and they have sent 158 relief pitchers to the mound so far this season. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 49 times in high leverage situations and also on 48 occasions with runners on base. Pittsburgh bullpen pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 38.2% out of their 76 inherited runners. With 42 save situations, the Pirates have accrued 24 holds in addition to 9 blown saves.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten 43 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .983 (23rd in MLB). The Pirates have recorded 425 assists, 29 errors and have accumulated 1,278 putouts during this campaign. In their 3,834 innings on the diamond, the Pirates have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 70.1% (14th in MLB).

In his pro baseball career, Heaney has surrendered 1,023 base hits while he has accumulated 1,108 K's in 1,064 frames. He has given up a total of 519 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.260 and having a FIP of 4.3. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.48 and he has gone up against 4,538 hitters so far in his MLB career. Heaney (53-65 win-loss record in his career) is the owner of a 4.39 ERA while giving up 8.7 hits per 9 innings.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cincinnati (-144)

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