Pirates at Reds
The Pittsburgh Pirates are fresh off a series win at St. Louis and are desperately trying to keep the red-hot Chicago Cubs within spitting distance in the National League Central. The Cincinnati Reds, who host the opener of a three-game series against the Pirates on Monday, are sitting in last place in the Central but took two out of three at home from Pittsburgh early last month.
The Reds put together a three-game winning streak before ending the weekend with a pair of crushing losses to the Milwaukee Brewers. Cincinnati’s league-worst bullpen served up the tying run in the eighth inning before surrendering seven runs in the 10th during Saturday’s 13-7 setback, and three relievers combined to yield four runs on Sunday in a 5-4 loss. The Pirates had dropped four in a row before getting to St. Louis and finally broke out with the bats on Sunday. Pittsburgh pounded out 14 hits and got home runs from John Jaso and Gregory Polanco in the 10-5 victory after failing to score more than four runs in any of the previous five contests.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Pittsburgh, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH Jonathon Niese (3-1, 5.94 ERA) vs. Reds RH Dan Straily (1-1, 3.56)
Niese struggled through each of his last three starts and suffered his first loss on Tuesday against the Cubs, surrendering six runs on nine hits and five walks in five innings. The 29-year-old allowed a total of 15 runs and 29 hits in 15 1/3 innings over his last three turns. Niese is 2-4 with a 4.06 ERA in seven career starts against the Reds.
Straily has been a solid addition to the rotation since moving up from the bullpen last month and logged his first win on Tuesday. The 27-year-old yielded a pair of home runs but limited the damage to three runs in 6 1/3 innings to beat the San Francisco Giants. Straily got the nod at Pittsburgh on Apr. 29 and was reached for two runs on five hits and three walks in six innings but absorbed the loss in a 4-1 final.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cincinnati LHP John Lamb left Sunday’s start in the fifth inning with a sprained thumb.
2. Pirates LF Starling Marte is 7-for-14 with three doubles and three runs scored in the last three games.
3. Jaso’s home run on Sunday was his third of the season, and the other two came against Cincinnati on Apr. 30 and May 1.