Pirates vs Reds Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Opening Day (Hunter Greene Leads Cincinnati to Victory)

The 2023 MLB season kicks off with an Opening Day matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark. These teams met head-to-head 19 times last season and the Pirates earned a win in 12 of those contests. Each squad has a chance to improve this summer.

Pirates vs. Reds Game Info

• Date: Thursday, March 30, 2023
• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Venue: Great American Ballpark -- Cincinnati, OH
• Coverage: ATTSN & BSOH

Both teams will send a young starter to the mound with 26-year-old Mitch Keller taking the hill for the Pirates (0.8 home runs per nine innings in 2022) and 23-year-old Hunter Greene getting the nod for the Reds (11.7 strikeouts per nine innings in 2022). Which team will start the year with a victory?

Pirates vs. Reds Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: PIT: (+112) | CIN: (-132)
• Spread: PIT: +1.5 (-192) | CIN: -1.5 (+158)
• Total: 8.5 -- Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

The Reds enter this divisional matchup as home favorites on the spread and moneyline at FanDuel Sportsbook. This game also has a projected total of 8.5 runs, which is on the higher side for Thursday's games.

Pirates vs. Reds Betting Trends

• Pittsburgh is 7-0 straight up in its last seven games against Cincinnati.
• The total has hit the over in four of Pittsburgh's last five games.
• Cincinnati is 3-10 straight up in its last 13 games against an NL opponent.
• The total has hit the under in four of Cincinnati's last six games against Pittsburgh.

Pirates vs. Reds Prediction & Pick

Pittsburgh and Cincinnati finished with identical 62-100 records last season, tying for last place in the NL Central division. It was a season to forget for two squads simply looking to take a step forward in 2023. Figuring out which players on the roster can stick around at the MLB level is going to be crucial.

As for Opening Day, the Reds have a clear edge on the mound. Hunter Greene is capable of firing pitches in the triple digits (mph) and is facing a Pirates lineup that logged 9.2 strikeouts per game last season (No. 28 in MLB). He gave up only 1 earned run in 13.1 innings against Pittsburgh in 2022.

Keller sports an unimpressive 5.00 career ERA and that mark jumps to 6.80 when focusing on his 11 career starts against the Reds. Pittsburgh has lost four straight Opening Day games and does not have the offensive depth to overcome a disadvantageous pitching matchup. Take Cincinnati here.

Final Score Prediction: Pirates: 2 | Reds: 6

Pirates vs. Reds Best Bet

It's already been mentioned that Greene dominated the Pirates across two starts last season. Keep in mind the young flamethrower also pitched well in spring training, posting a 3.12 ERA to go along with 14 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched. Cincinnati has the hitters (Jonathan India, Tyler Stephenson, etc.) to put up a couple of runs against Keller and that's all that will be needed for the Reds to win.

Bet: Cincinnati Reds -1.5 (+158)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.