*12:35 ET* CIN/PIT! 22-10 RUN

Scott Rickenbach’s MLB 6* (Regular Play) Cincinnati Reds Money Line (-) @ Pittsburgh @ 12:35 PM ET: Arroyo vs Morton –

Cincinnati Reds (Arroyo)-125 over PITTSBURGH PIRATES (Morton)

We don’t play big favorites in baseball and we rarely even step into the “moderate” price range that the Reds are listed at today. However, this is a classic case of two teams heading in opposite directions right now and – along with the pitching advantage that Bronson Arroyo gives us here – we have no qualms about laying the 130+ price on Cincinnati. The Reds have defeated the Pirates seven straight times. Cincy’s two wins in this series have come by a combined score of 22-6. The Pirates have lost eight of their last nine home games and we look for them to struggle once again at PNC Park this afternoon. Pittsburgh is an ugly 5-24 in their last 29 games. As for the Reds, they are 20-10 in their last 30 games. It seems apparent that Cincinnati is already trying to build momentum for next season while the Pirates are simply “playing out the string” and just can’t wait for this season to come to a close. Charlie Morton gets the start for Pittsburgh this afternoon and he’s 1-1 with a 6.35 ERA against the Reds this season. Morton has pitched better since mid-August but still has nearly as many walks as strikeouts over his last five starts. Also, the right-hander has allowed 32 hits in his last 30.1 innings so he certainly hasn’t been dominant. He just got rocked at Cincinnati in his first start this month as Morton gave up six earned runs on 9 hits and 4 walks in just five innings of work. He struck out just one Red in what was a very rough performance for him. Morton is coming off of a strong start in his most recent outing but it came against a Padres club that has one of the weakest lineups in baseball. Morton will be no match for Arroyo here. The Reds right-hander began his career with the Pirates and he shut them down on just four hits in eight shutout innings back on May 1st. Arroyo has been a “machine” of late as he’s lasted at least seven innings in each of his last ten starts. This dates back to August 1st and Arroyo’s ERA is a solid 2.06 since then! Opponents are hitting just .219 against Arroyo in August and September combined and he stays red-hot hear against a Pirates team that can’t wait for this season’s misery to end. Play Cincinnati on the money line as a 6* Regular Play selection.