Pirates vs. Red Sox prediction and odds for Tuesday, April 4 (Please get somebody on base for Reynolds)

The Boston Red Sox refuse to do anything except play high-scoring close games. Yesterday, at Fenway Park in Game 1 of this three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates it was the Pirates on the winning end, 7-6. Both teams are now 2-2. 

Pittsburgh went with an inexperienced, but talented young starting pitcher in Johan Oviedo and they’ll do the same today, turning to Roansy Contreras. Boston starts the much more experienced and established, Nick Pivetta. Pivetta made 33 starts last season for the Red Sox and finished with a 4.56 ERA. 

It’s Game 2 at Fenway, so let’s check out the odds for the Pirates and Red Sox. 

Pirates vs. Red Sox odds, run line and total

Pirates vs. Red Sox prediction and pick

The Red Sox might be the most fun team in baseball this season. That is if you like to see runs. They have scored the most runs of any team in the league, 33, and have allowed the fourth most, 30. They’ve done that in just four games. This team looks like it has a disastrous pitching staff, but yesterday after allowing a three-spot in the first they hit three home runs in the bottom half and scored five runs. Rafael Dever, Triston Casas, and Masataka Yoshida all hit their first of the season. As a team their OPS is .945 and they’re getting on base at an absurd .391 clip.

Conversely, the Pirates have a .654 OPS which was greatly helped by their seven runs performance yesterday. That’s being floated by Bryan Reynolds’, 1.271 OPS which is a team best. Reynolds hit two home runs yesterday, his second and third of the year, but he only has four RBI. Pittsburgh desperately needs to do two things. First, back up the brinks truck for Reynolds and lock him up, and second, get somebody on base in front of the guy. 

Boston is the hottest offensive team in the MLB, and Pittsburgh’s bats have woken up at Fenway, so I’m going to bet the over in this one. Contreras is a classic, good stuff, bad results pitcher who could put it together some day, but I don’t expect this to be that day. 

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change