This Wednesday the (52-88) Pittsburgh Pirates and the (56-83) Cincinnati Reds will play the final game of this four-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 12:35 PM EST inside the Great American Ball Park. The last time that these two teams matched up the Reds walked away with the series win.
The Pittsburgh Pirates came into this one after losing their previous series to the St. Louis Cardinals. Pittsburgh struggled on the mound in the final two games of that series, as they allowed 11 combined runs. They will have to be better on the mound if they want to take down the Reds on the road.
The Cincinnati Reds are entering this one after losing their last series to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds also struggled on the mound, as they gave up 12 combined runs in the final two games of that series.
This game was written/published before last night's results. < /p>
The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently 3-7 in their last 10 games played, as their poor play has allowed them to continue to slide in the wrong direction. They are also 24.5 games back from the San Diego Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot. Unfortunately, the Pirates are also 30.5 games back from the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.
At the plate, the Pirates are scoring 3.65 runs per game and they are hitting .222 as a team. This is the third least amount of runs scored per game and the second lowest overall team batting average in the MLB. They have struggled to consistently reach base and they aren't making enough contact with the ball. Luckily, the Pirates have realized that they have a little bit of home run power hidden inside inside their lineup. Pittsburgh is averaging 1.03 bombs per game, which is the 18th highest average in the league. I would also expect the Pirates to stay aggressive once they ha ve reached base safely. They have already stolen 73 bases this season, which is the 16th most. They have a decent amount of speed inside of their lineup.
According to MLB.com, the Pirates will be starting Roansy Contreras on the mound. He is currently 5-4 with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. In his last start, he pitched for 5.1 innings and he only gave up four hits and one earned run to the Cardinals. He has also been great on the road this season, as he is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA. Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh bullpen has continued to struggle, as they are currently allowed 4.68 runs per game. This is the 27th highest bullpen ERA in the league, as they have been getting shelled all season. As a team, the Pirates are allowing 5.19 runs per game, which is the 27th most runs surrendered per game.