Pirates at Reds
The 2016 season could not have started any better for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, who begin a three-game series Friday. Pittsburgh hits the road for the first time this season after sweeping three contests from St. Louis while Cincinnati did the same to Philadelphia as Jay Bruce did most of the damage with two home runs and a career high-tying five RBIs in Thursday's 10-6 victory at Great American Ball Park.
"He put a lot of work in to close some holes in his swing," Reds manager Bryan Price told reporters about Bruce in spring training. "I know he was disappointed in his last two seasons." The Pirates used the same lineup in all three games with Andrew McCutchen - batting second for the first time since 2010 - going 5-for-11 with two runs scored. Pittsburgh also received plenty of production from Gregory Polanco, who went 3-for-7 with three RBIs, four runs and five walks versus the Cardinals after agreeing to a five-year contract extension worth $35 million earlier this week. The Pirates' Francisco Liriano turned in a dominating performance against St. Louis opening day and opposes Alfredo Simon, who returned to Cincinnati by signing a one-year contract worth $2 million on March 17.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH Francisco Liriano (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Reds RH Alfredo Simon (2015: 13-12, 5.05)
Liriano improved to 7-18 with a 5.29 ERA in 39 April appearances (31 starts) after allowing three hits and five walks while striking out 10 in six scoreless innings and contributing an RBI in Pittsburgh's 4-1 victory Sunday. The 32-year-old Dominican went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts against Cincinnati last season, improving to 1-5, 3.86 in 12 turns. Liriano fares well against Joey Votto (5-for-24, home run, four walks, seven strikeouts).
Simon, who pitched for Detroit in 2015, made 99 appearances out of the bullpen in his first two seasons with the Reds before becoming a full-time starter in 2014, going 15-10 with a 3.44 ERA. The 34-year-old Dominican squeezed in three spring training starts, yielding five runs, five hits and five walks while striking out nine in 11 2/3 innings. Simon, who made 63 starts in the last two years, is 4-5, 3.60 in 20 games (six starts) versus the Pirates and handles McCutchen (6-for-25, home run, five walks, six strikeouts) and Josh Harrison (5-for-20, four strikeouts) well.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cincinnati 2B Brandon Phillips missed the last two games because of a stomach virus.
2. Reds SS Eugenio Suarez, who hit 13 of his 19 career home runs last season, has two in 2016 after belting his first career grand slam Thursday.
3. The Reds won the 2015 season series 11-8 despite finishing 34 games behind the Pirates.