Game Preview
On Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds kick off a three-game series at PNC Park. The two teams are fierce rivals in the National League Central. On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Reds dropped their second straight game, this time against the Miami Marlins by a score of 5-4. The Reds have dropped eight straight. The Pirates dropped their second straight on Wednesday, losing 6-5 to the Braves.
The pitching staff for the Cincinnati Reds needs to become better, and fast, or the team will be eliminated from postseason contention. With a 4.83 team ERA and a 1.43 team WHIP, Cincinnati ranks worst in both categories. The starting rotation in Cincinnati is 23rd in the league with 34 Quality Starts, while the pitching staff is allowing opponents to hit.261 on the season, which ranks 25th.
Cincy is led by Ian Gibaut’s eight victories and Hunter Greene’s 100 strikeouts. On Friday, Andrew Abbott will pitch for Cincinnati. The lefty’s season stats include a 6-3 record, a 2.93 ERA, and 74 punchouts.
As a result of injuries to key starting and relief pitchers, Cincinnati has been forced to supplement its pitching staff with players from lower levels of the minors. Andrew Abbott, the starting pitcher for the Reds, has struggled in each of his last two outings, surrendering a total of 14 hits and 10 runs over 9 innings while striking out eight batters and walking eight more.
Similarly for Pittsburgh, pitching has been another area of weakness. The Pirates rank 24th in WHIP with 1.39 and have a team ERA of 4.55, good for 23rd place. The starting pitchers for the Pirates are tied for 12th in the league with 42 Quality Starts, but the team as a whole is allowing opponents to hit.254 off of them.
Johan Oviedo will take over for the Steel City on Friday. The right-hander has a record of 6-11 this year with an earned run average of 4.18 and 117 punchouts. Oviedo has given Pittsburgh three consecutive quality starts, each time allowing only two runs on eleven hits over twenty innings and leading the Pirates to victories against Milwaukee, Detroit, and San Diego.
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Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates Game Information
- Date: 08/11/2023
- Time: 07:05 PM ET
- Location: PNC Park.
- How to Watch Reds vs Pirates: MLB.TV
- Live Stream: MLB.TV
