Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

Don't be fooled by last year's numbers when it comes to today's starters, Braxton Ashcraft of Pittsburgh and Chase Burns of Cincinnati. Ashcraft had a 2.71 ERA in 69.2 innings as a rookie last season, while Burns had a 4.67 ERA in 43.1 innings in 2025. Burns has a significant upside. Burns dominated at Wake Forest and showed signs of that during his first eight starts in the majors last season with 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Ashcraft had 26 appearances last year, eight coming as a starter. He is a converted reliever. Ashcraft made two appearances vs the Reds last season, giving up three earned runs and 11 hits in 7.2 innings. The Pirates got a taste of Burns' high upside. Burns made two starts vs. the Pirates in 2025, throwing eight innings, giving up just one earned run on three hits, and striking out 13. Pittsburgh ranked last in scoring in 2025 with 3.6 runs per game. Pittsburgh went 1-2 in its opening series against the Mets on the road. Cincinnati took two of three games against Boston at home, both at plus $1.14. Take the Reds.