The Cincinnati Reds (60-66) will begin an 11-game road trip tonight at 7:05 PM against the Pittsburgh Pirates (52-75). The Reds are just 5-8 against the Pirates this season. The Reds are 5-1-3 over their last 9 series.
The umpires will certainly be on high alert this weekend. Marty Brennaman said on air that both teams have already been warned. You would expect that nothing will happen, but it could get interesting the first time someone throws up and in.
Starting Pitchers
Anthony DeSclafani is coming off a solid start against the Cardinals where he allowed just 1 run in 5.0 innings. It’s been great to see Disco stay healthy for nearly a full season now. He has been about an average big league starter, which is exactly what the Reds need from him. If he could just cut down on the home runs, he’d be a really good starter. Disco has a career 4.55 ERA in 11 starts against the Pirates, but an 8.10 ERA in 2 starts this season.
Mitch Keller will be making his sixth career big league start tonight. He has given up a whopping 33 hits in 21.1 innings, but has struck out 24 batters. Keller was the Pirates second round pick back in 2014, and he is currently MLB Pipeline’s #26 rated prospect (#1 on the Pirates, #6 among RHP). Keller had average results at AAA this season, posting a 3.56 ERA/3.59 FIP in 19 starts. The Reds hit him pretty hard on May 27th: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 K).
Starting Lineups
| Reds | Pirates |
| 1. Josh VanMeter (LF) 2. Freddy Galvis (2B) 3. Eugenio Suarez (3B) 4. Aristides Aquino (RF) 5. Tucker Barnhart (C) 6. Jose Iglesias (SS) 7. Derek Dietrich (1B) 8. Nick Senzel (CF) 9. Anthony DeSclafani (P) |
1. Kevin Newman (SS) 2. Bryan Reynolds (LF) 3. Starling Marte (CF) 4. Josh Bell (1B) 5. Colin Moran (3B) 6. Jose Osuna (RF) 7. Adam Frazier (2B) 8. Jacob Stallings (C) 9. Mitch Keller (P) |
From the #Reds: returned from a rehabilitation assignment and reinstated from the 10-day injured list IF/OF Derek Dietrich (left shoulder inflammation).
— John Fay (@johnfayman) August 23, 2019
Conclusion
The next seven games are coming against the two worst teams in the NL. The Pirates are 6-24 in their last 30 games. The Marlins are 4-16 in their last 20 games. This is a great chance for the Reds to try to climb the hill back to .500. If the Reds could somehow pull off all 7 wins, they’d be above .500 at 67-66. Go Reds!