Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds Picks and Predictions for Saturday, August 1st, 2026

By: Cameron Ross Published 08/01/2026, 12:00 AM ET

Pirates vs Reds Game Information

The Pittsburgh Pirates stay on the road Saturday night with a 6:40 PM matchup inside Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, OH, against the Cincinnati Reds. Pittsburgh has 55 wins and 55 losses this season, coming into Saturday riding a 4-game skid after dropping the first 2 games of this series. The Cincinnati Reds stay home Saturday, 5 games below .500 this year, but they have won 3 of the last 4, including 2 in a row. Stay in the news with our MLB Picks.

Pirates Preview

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense has compiled a .259 batting average this season, scoring 565 runs on 992 hits. Pittsburgh has a .336 OBP and a .419 team slugging percentage. The Pittsburgh pitching has been shaky this season, with a 4.26 team ERA, and they have allowed 22 runs over their last 4 losses. Nick Gonzales leads the Pittsburgh offense this season with a .316 batting average. Brandon Lowe has a .253 batting average and leads the team with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs.

Reds Preview

The Cincinnati Reds offense has a .230 batting average, with 443 runs on 830 hits. Cincinnati has a .309 OBP and a .395 team slugging percentage. Cincinnati's pitching has been the team's biggest issue, with a 4.41 team ERA this season, though they have allowed 9 runs across their last 3 wins. Elly De La Cruz leads the Cincinnati offense this season with a .279 batting average. Sal Stewart has a .254 batting average and leads the team with 22 home runs and 80 RBIs.

Pirates vs Reds Pitching Matchup

Braxton Ashcraft will take the mound Saturday for the Pirates. This year, Ashcraft is 10-4 with a 4.05 ERA across 122.1 innings of action. Andrew Abbott will counter for Cincinnati. Abbott is 1 game below .500 this season with a 3.85 ERA through 117 innings of work.

Subscribe Now

I authorize Picks And Parlays to send me promotional emails

I understand that I can unsubscribe at any time. I have read and accepted the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. I consent that Picks And Parlays may use third-party services to process my data.

Terms & Conditions

Pirates vs Reds Pick

The Pittsburgh Pirates come into this game desperately needing a win and will break through on Saturday. Look for Pittsburgh to end their recent skid as they rely on their offense to overwhelm a red-hot Cincinnati team, leading to the road win.

Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates -123
Secondary: Over 8.5
Lean: Nick Gonzales Over 1.5 Bases

Final Score Prediction: Pittsburgh Pirates win 6-4.

Game Written Before completion of the game on Friday.