The Pittsburgh Pirates enter Thursday’s game in Cincinnati with an MLB-worst 3-13 record. A lot of the team’s issues have come at the plate.

The Pirates average four runs per game, tied for 23rd in the majors entering Wednesday’s action around the country. And Pittsburgh is hitting .209 as a collective, with only the Reds (.208 entering Wednesday) hitting worse in the NL.

The Reds turn to Anthony DeSclafani to keep the Pittsburgh struggles going. In two starts, he has pitched 11 scoreless innings and walked only one.

The Pirates counter with Trevor Williams, who seems to be back to peak form after going 7-9 with a 5.38 ERA in 2019. Among qualified starters, he had the majors’ best ERA after the All-Star break in 2018. This season, he has a 3.52 ERA in 15¹/₃ innings over three starts.

With both teams scuffling on offense, a sneaky good pitching matchup and the Pirates having not played since Sunday due to their series with the Cardinals being postponed, it should lead to a struggle for both teams to score.

The play: Pirates-Reds total, Under 9 runs.