Pittsburgh hosts Cincinnati in the second game of their series at PNC Park on Tuesday night. Many people doubted the Reds this season, but they've gone on a phenomenal 5-2 start. Their starter, Brandon Finnegan, struggled greatly and gave up four hits while recording just six outs before getting the hook early. Reliever Michael Lorenzen came in to get the win, and the bullpen didn't allow any more offense to happen for the Pirates. Cincinnati has won the last two meetings of this matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM Eastern time and the contest can be seen on MLB.tv, FSN Ohio, and Root Sports Pittsburgh.
Reds (5-2 overall, 2-4 O/U, 3-1 away, 2nd NL Central)
Finnegan gave up just an earned run and four hits, but that was by the third inning. Even then, he gave up five walks by that point. Strangely enough, four of his six outs were punchouts. He was incredibly inconsistent at the plate and instead of rolling with the volatility, the Reds manager decided on pulling him and relying on the bullpen. Three different relievers came in and gave up no hits while recording nine strikeouts.
The offense also got the job done by being efficient, generating eight hits and seven runs with three strikeouts. Left fielder Adam Duvall (.333 avg) reeled in two RBIs and had a hit. Third baseman Eugenio Suarez (.350), who leads the team in batting average), also recorded two RBIs and took three bases on balls.
Suarez also picked up his second home run along with second baseman Scooter Gennett (.133 avg).
Pirates (3-3 overall, 3-3 O/U, 3-1 home, 3rd NL Central)
Pittsburgh's starter, Tyler Glasnow, picked up his first loss of the season after having an even worse outing than the opponent. He lasted just 1.2 innings and gave up five earned runs on four hits.
He also walked five batters and got just one strikeout on 64 pitches. Reliever Wade LeBlanc had a stellar outing himself giving up just one earned run on one hit in 5.1 innings, but they weren't able to make up the eventual 7-1 deficit they lost by.
The Pirates will start Jameson Taillon (0-0, 0.00 ERA). He had a decent first outing this season against Boston.
He gave up five hits but no runs in seven innings pitched. He recorded six strikeouts and three walks on 95 pitches. The team wasn't able to give him any run support and they lost 3-0.
Betting for Reds and Pirates
Pittsburgh is a heavy favorite at home with -200 on the moneyline while the Reds are worth +163. Run total is set at 8. Cincinnati is 7-3 in their last 10 road games.