Pirates at Reds
The offense for the Pittsburgh Pirates took the day off on Saturday, but ace Gerrit Cole was around to pick up the slack and help the team avoid a three-game slide. The Pirates will try to earn a series win and make up some ground in the National League Central when they visit the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday.
Pittsburgh won just two of its six games this week and needed 1-0 shutouts to earn both of those victories, including on Saturday when Gerrit Cole fired seven strong innings and supported himself with a solo homer. The Pirates' sub-par August (11-14) has them eight games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the Central, but this weekend marked the start of a stretch of 28 straight games against division opponents - seven against the Cubs - that could turn things around. The Reds (55-75) sit in last place in the Central but are going to have a say in how the division shakes out with 22 more games against Central opponents. Cincinnati is working new pitchers into its rotation and will give right-hander Tyler Mahle his major-league debut on Sunday opposite Pittsburgh righty Jameson Taillon.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (7-5, 4.85 ERA) vs. Reds RH Tyler Mahle (NA)
Taillon had trouble finding the strike zone against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday and issued five walks while allowing five runs and five hits over five innings. The 25-year-old notched just one strikeout in the contest after punching out at least seven in each of his previous three turns. Taillon was ripped for eight runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings against Cincinnati on Aug. 1 and is 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in three starts against the division rivals this season.
Mahle will be the 16th rookie pitcher used by the Reds this season and jumped up prospect rankings by going 10-7 with a 2.06 ERA across two minor-league levels this season. The 22-year-old, who tossed a perfect game for Double-A Pensacola in April, yielded more than three runs just once in those 24 minor-league outings. "I found out (about the promotion) by accident," Mahle told MLB.com. "I'm as excited as I've ever been. It was a big surprise to me. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
WALK-OFFS
1. The Pirates placed C Francisco Cervelli (left quad) on the 10-day disabled list.
2. Reds 1B Joey Votto is 0-for-8 with three strikeouts in the series and is hitless in four of his last six games to drop his batting average to .311.
3. Cincinnati C Chad Wallach is also expected to make his major-league debut on Sunday.