Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/27/2026

Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Saturday, June 27, 2026

Venue:  PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA 

Where to Watch:  ESPN Unlimited, MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Reds -115, Pirates -105; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Reds -115, Pirates -105; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Reds -115, Pirates -105; Over/Under:  8 runs

Cincinnati Reds:  37-42 (5th place, NL Central)

Pittsburgh Pirates:  41-40 (4th place, NL Central)

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Cincinnati Reds:  4-6 last 10

Pittsburgh Pirates:  5-5 last 10

The Reds are entering this series off a loss and got swept in their 3-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 37-42 record overall and have a road record of 18-20. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 24th in the MLB with a .698 OPS. Andrew Abbott is their starting pitcher on Friday while Chase Burns is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 9-1 with a 2.00 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 3 BB with 7 SO on 5 hits through 5 IP against the New York Yankees.

The Pirates are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 41-40 record overall and have a home record of 22-20. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Reds on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .746 OPS. Paul Skenes is their starting pitcher on Friday while Jared Jones is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 1-1 with a 5.75 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts on 1 hit through 3 innings pitched against the Colorado Rockies.

The current betting odds have the Reds listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pirates have looked good in their games this season with their 41-40 record overall, but that record has them right near the bottom of the NL Central. They have looked good in their own ballpark though with their 22-20 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Reds haven't looked good in their games this season with their 37-42 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't been a great road team either with their 18-20 road record this year. The Reds are 4-6 in their last 10 games and they haven't looked good lately, but they will be looking to bounce back after getting swept by the Brewers in their last series and they are going to have the better pitching matchup to take advantage of in this one. The Reds are going with Burns in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 9-1 with a 2.00 ERA and he has been their ace this year. He is coming off another great start in which he only gave up 1 earned run which has been a common theme for him lately, and the team has been having a ton of success with him too, winning 3 games in a row now with him starting. The Pirates are going with Jones in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 1-1 with a 5.75 ERA and he has had some bad starts this year even though his team has been having success. They have won 4 of their 5 games with him starting and he is coming off a great start in which he only gave up 1 earned run, but that hasn't been a common theme for him and he is due for a loss with the way he has pitched. The Reds are going to be desperate to bounce back in this series and get themselves back in this NL race, so look for them to stop the bleeding and take advantage of this better pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Reds to win this game. 

Reds Pirates Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, June 27, 2026 (4:05 pm ET start time) is Reds 4 Pirates 1.

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Cincinnati Reds: 94-108 (+5.5 units) on the moneyline in road games. 7-3 (+5.8 units) on the moneyline revenging a same season 3 game sweep at the hands of their opponents. 97-95 (+21.6 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 22-15 OVER in road games.

Pittsburgh Pirates: 189-216 (-19.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 58-70 (-11.2 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 145-158 (-6.4 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 27-15 OVER in home games.

Cincinnati Reds:  N. Lodolo (SP) Day To Day - Wrist. G. Ashcraft (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. K. Hayes (3B) Ten Day IL - Back. E. Pagan (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. B. Williamson (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. H. Greene (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  S. Horwitz (1B) Ten Day - Hamstring. J. Jones (1B) Day To Day - Arm. W. Dotel (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Lat. O. Cruz (CF) Ten Day IL - Hand. C. Devenski (RP) Sixty Day IL - Illness. K. Griffin (SS) Ten Day IL - Flexor Tendon.

“I think it’s too blanket of a statement — every game is different, and I always feel that way. They’re a very good team, and they’re hard to beat because they challenge you in so many ways. But we just have to be more consistent in a number of areas.” - Terry Francona after his team’s loss against the Brewers in their game on Wednesday. 

“There's a better team that we'll see in the second half; they're more consistent. We need to play better in order to get to where we want to go. We're in a good spot, but we're not there yet.” - Don Kelly after his team’s win against the Mariners in their game on Thursday.

Blake Dunn (R) LF

Elly De La Cruz (S) SS

Dane Myers (R) CF

Sal Stewart (R) 3B

Spencer Steer (R) 1B

Eugenio Suárez (R) DH

Noelvi Marte (R) RF

Tyler Stephenson (R) C

Matt McLain (R) 2B

Jake Mangum (S) CF

Brandon Lowe (L) DH

Bryan Reynolds (S) LF

Nick Gonzales (R) 3B

Ryan O'Hearn (L) 1B

Esmerlyn Valdez (R) RF

Tyler Callihan (L) 2B

Jared Triolo (R) SS

Henry Davis (R) C

Batting Average:  Blake Dunn (.279)

Hits:  Sal Stewart (74)

Home Runs:  Sal Stewart (14)

RBI:  Sal Stewart (55)

Stolen Bases:  Sal Stewart (11)

Wins:  Chase Burns (9)

Saves:  Emilio Pagán (6)

ERA:  Caleb Ferguson (1.42)

Batting Average:  Rafael Flores (.667)

Hits:  Bryan Reynolds (84)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (19)

RBI:  Bryan Reynolds (52)

Stolen Bases:  Oneil Cruz (21)

Wins:  Braxton Ashcraft (7)

Saves:  Gregory Soto (11)

ERA:  Evan Sisk (1.80)

Managers:

Cincinnati Reds: Terry Francona (2nd season)

Pittsburgh Pirates: Don Kelly (2nd season)