The Cincinnati Reds are upriver in Pittsburgh on Friday to begin a weekend series against the Pirates. A Reds/Pirates series – starting on the first of May – and yet somehow, it feels like must-watch television.
That’s a bummer for a lot of you, since tonight’s game is going to be broadcast quite poorly on Apple TV. For those who do find a way to track it down and experience it, though, this game is going to have more on the line in the National League Central than it has in quite some time.
Cincinnati will luckly dodge Paul Skenes in this series, as he pitched just yesterday in the team’s 10-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in that series finale. That dropped the Bucs to 16-16 on the season, but they are still a team that very much looks to be eschewing their decade-long reputation as perennial bottom feeders after several of their key players have begun to emerge.
Oneil Cruz is knocking the crud out of the ball, finally. Ryan O’Hearn has hit the ground running as a rare legitimate free agent signee. Brandon Lowe has made Pittsburgh’s decision to trade for him this offseason look incredibly prescient, and we haven’t even mentioned that Konnor Griffin has been promoted (and given a massive extension) to help officially move the franchise forward to the next phase of their arduous rebuild.
As a team, Pittsburgh boasts a .317 wOBA, good for a middle-of-the-pack 17th overall. That’s ahead of Cincinnati’s .314 by a hair, even though xwOBA thinks the Reds should have a much better offense than the Pirates so far. Pittsburgh’s 3.82 ERA (8th) and 3.73 xERA (t-5th) show it’s their pitching staff on which they’ve truly been leaning so far, though again, the Reds will miss Skenes this series.
Righty Mitch Keller gets the starting nod tonight in the series opener opposite Reds righty Brady Singer. First pitch (on Apple TV, sadly) is slated for 6:45 PM ET.
Here’s how the Reds will line up for the opener:
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