Reds at Pirates
Andrew McCutchen has been flexing his muscles with five of his last six hits leaving the park. Fresh off his third career three-homer performance, McCutchen looks to continue the power surge on Tuesday as the Pirates begin an eight-game homestand with the opener of a three-game series versus the Cincinnati Reds.
McCutchen belted three solo shots in Sunday's 7-1 rout at San Diego, snapping Pittsburgh's four-game losing skid while giving the five-time All-Star and 2013 National League MVP five homers, nine RBIs and seven runs scored during his last six games. The 30-year-old has two homers and is batting .286 versus the Reds this season, and that average elevates to a robust .311 in 45 career at-bats versus Tuesday starter Homer Bailey. While Pittsburgh resides 5 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago in the NL Central, cellar-dwelling Cincinnati found a rare ray of sunshine on Sunday after snapping a six-game skid with a 6-4 victory over Miami. The reeling Reds won for just the third time in 17 outings, although they have emerged victorious in six of the seven meetings versus the Pirates this season.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati), AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Homer Bailey (2-5, 8.37) vs. Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (6-4, 4.03)
Bailey sustained his third straight loss on Wednesday after allowing seven runs on 10 hits - including nine singles - in a 9-5 setback at the New York Yankees. The 31-year-old has permitted 17 runs during his losing skid (16 innings), but perhaps a trek to PNC Park will be just what the doctor ordered to turn his fortunes around. Bailey has posted a 5-2 mark with a 2.58 ERA in nine career starts in Pittsburgh - including a no-hitter on Sept. 28, 2012.
Taillon endured the worst start of his career on Tuesday, surrendering 10 runs on nine hits in three innings of an 11-3 shellacking at San Francisco. The run total eclipsed the 25-year-old's sum total of his previous five starts, during which he yielded eight runs over 27 2/3 frames. Taillon's previous season-worst outing came in Cincinnati on May 3, during which he was shelled for six runs on eight hits - including two homers - in a 7-2 setback.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pirates 3B David Freese has hit safely in 10 straight starts, going 14-for-37 (.378).
2. Reds CF Billy Hamilton leads the majors with 44 steals, with eight coming against the Pirates this season.
3. Pittsburgh traded RHP Tony Watson and Cincinnati dealt LHP Tony Cingrani -- both relievers -- to the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to Monday's trade deadline.