The Pirates, buoyed by a series spit with the Braves and a series win over the Brewers, are home to the 2 -8 (L10) Reds on Friday. Two good young pitchers start. Abbott, the Reds' lefty has impressed this season. He has pitched 70 innings in just two months and it might be starting to show, as his last two appearances have been poor, allowing 10 runs in just 9 innings pitched. Oviedo has been the reverse. He has a 0.90 ERA in his last three starts, allowing just 2 runs in his last 20 innings pitched. He has had good support from the Pirates' pen in his last starts, winning all three games. It is the Reds' bullpen that has really struggled lately, accumulating a massive 7.65 ERA L10. The Pirates surprisingly have the edge on offense as well in recent action; .246 BA/.794 OPS compared to .203/.654 OPS. The Reds are a streaky team and it appears that a bit of the wind has gone out of their young sails of late. I like the Pirates, an underdog, to win this game outright.