This Monday the (59-93) Cincinnati Reds and the (56-96) Pittsburgh Pirates will play game one of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 6:35 PM EST inside PNC Park. The last time that these two teams faced off, the Pirates swept the Reds in a four-game series.
The Cincinnati Reds are coming into this one after losing their previous series to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds struggled at the plate in the first three games, as they couldn't consistently reach base safely. They will have to warm up at the plate if they want to challenge the Pirates on the road.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are entering this one after a tough series with the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates looked great in game three, though. They won 6-0, as they had it rolling on the mound and at the plate!
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Cincinnati Reds will not be playing in the postseason, as they are currently in fourth place in the NL Central. The trail the Cardinals by 29.5 games, as they have continued to slide in the wrong direction. Cincinnati is 3-7 in their last 10 games played and they are also 24.5 games back from the Philadelphia Phillies for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.
At the plate, the Reds are scoring 4.23 runs per game and they are hitting .238 as a team. This is the 21st most runs scored per game and the 20th highest overall team batting average. They have struggled to consistently make contact with the ball and reach base safely, as this has made it much more difficult to score. The Reds have also realized that they don't have a crazy amount of power inside of their lineup. They are only hitting 1.00 home runs per game, which is the 18th most in the MLB. I would watch for Kyle Farmer at the dish, as he leads the t eam with 13 home runs this season. Cincinnati has only stolen 56 bases this season, as well. This is the 24th most, as the Reds have stayed conservative on the base paths.
According to MLB.com, the Reds will be starting Chase Anderson on the mound in this one. He is currently 2-3 with a 5.21 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. In his last start, he pitched for 5.0 innings and only gave up one earned run to the Red Sox. He is also 1-1 on the road this season, with a 3.00 ERA. The Reds bullpen hasn't performed as well, though. They have the second-highest bullpen ERA in the league. As a team, the Reds are allowing 5.14 runs per game, which is the fourth most.