Reds at Pirates
The Cincinnati Reds piled up 13 hits in second of their four-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates and lost by 11 runs, but Eugenio Suarez wasn't about to let their 11-hit attack Saturday go to waste. The Reds eye consecutive wins for the first time this season when they target a series split Sunday versus the host Pirates.
Cincinnati had 16 baserunners Friday, but it was mostly unable to take advantage in a 14-3 loss because it left 10 men on base and 12 of its 13 hits were singles. Suarez stepped up in a big way in Saturday's 7-4 victory, however, as his two-run single knotted the game in the sixth inning after Pittsburgh raced out to a 4-0 lead, and his three-run homer in the eighth broke the tie - the most important of six hits Cincinnati had in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Pittsburgh's offense bogged down after striking for all of its runs Saturday in the first two innings, keeping the club from matching its best eight-game start since 1973. All but one starting position player got a hit in the loss for the Pirates, but Corey Dickerson's first-inning, two-run double was the only extra-base hit for an offense that entered the game second in the majors with 28 such hits.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cincinnati), AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Tyler Mahle (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (1-0, 3.38)
Mahle displayed some of the promise Monday that has made him one of Cincinnati's top prospects, holding the Chicago Cubs to one hit and two walks while striking out seven over six innings to get the victory. "I located my fastball really well. The slider and changeup came later - maybe the last couple innings," the 23-year-old told MLB.com. Mahle went 0-1 despite a 2.45 ERA in two outings versus the Pirates last season, accounting for half of his first four career starts prior to this season.
Taillon won his season debut Monday, yielding only two runs and four hits across 5 1/3 innings while tying a career high with nine strikeouts. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft will try to regain the form that allowed him to thrive at home as a rookie in 2016 (2-2, 2.86 ERA) after struggling in Pittsburgh last season (4-5, 5.03). Billy Hamilton (7-for-17, two homers) and Jose Peraza (8-for-11) are among the Reds who have troubled Taillon, who went 0-2 with a 6.20 ERA in five starts against Cincinnati in 2017.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pirates OF Gregory Polanco - tied for the NL lead with 11 RBIs - was scratched from Saturday's game with right foot discomfort. He is listed as day-to-day.
2. Reds OF Scott Schebler (right elbow) has missed the last four games.
3. Cincinnati pitchers have hit Pittsburgh batters with a pitch a league-high 65 times over the last six seasons.