MLB Baseball Betting Picks: Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds

Guess who’s looking to get even closer to first place in the NL Central - the Pittsburgh Pirates. They hope to do so when they face the division-leading Cincinnati Reds in the middle contest of a three-game series on Wednesday. Pittsburgh took the opener on Tuesday for its fifth straight win at Great American Ball Park and eighth in 10 games overall. The victory pulled the Pirates within two games of the Reds in the Central.

The Cincinnati Reds took their second loss out of nine games in the beginning of their homestand Tuesday in their own field. Recently, they have struggled with the Pirates, losing 10 of the 15 meetings between the clubs last season and dropping four of seven thus far this year. Joey Votto comes in with an 11-game hitting streak during which he is batting .568 (21-for-37).

Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds
When: 7:10 PM ET, Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

The Cincinnati Reds opened with -185 favorites according to online sports books sites, for MLB baseball betting odds, check out Sportsbook.com for all your needs regarding betting on the game.

Pitching Match Up: Brad Lincoln (Pirates RH 3-0, 1.04 ERA) VS Johnny Cueto (Reds RH, 5-3, 2.54 ERA)
This will be Lincoln’s second start of the season as he takes the place of the injured Charlie Morton. In his initial start on May 14, the 27-year-old allowed two runs and four hits over six innings in a victory at Miami. Lincoln, who has made six scoreless relief appearances since then, is 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA in four career games - one start - against Cincinnati.

On a similar note, Cueto will be coming off his second road start of the year against the Pirates. After yielding one run in a complete-game victory on May 4, the 26-year-old Dominican took the loss on Wednesday despite giving up only two runs over seven innings. Cueto, who has lost three of his last four outings, owns an 11-4 record in 17 career starts against Pittsburgh.

MLB Baseball betting tips for this game:
• Over their last two contests, the Pirates managed to get seven home runs.
• OF Alex Presley returned to Pittsburgh after a stint in the minors and went 2-for-5 with a triple, a solo home run and two runs scored.