The Pittsburgh Pirates came into Great American Ball Park last night and topped the Reds 4-2. Cincinnati fell out of a playoff spot with the loss and now need help over the final five games of the year to get back in. Tonight’s matchup has a scheduled first pitch for 6:40pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Pittsburgh Pirates |
Cincinnati Reds |
| Oneil Cruz – CF | TJ Friedl – CF |
| Jared Triolo – 3B | Noelvi Marte – RF |
| Bryan Reynolds – RF | Gavin Lux – DH |
| Spencer Horwitz – 1B | Spencer Steer – 1B |
| Andrew McCutchen – DH | Elly De La Cruz – SS |
| Tommy Pham – LF | Sal Stewart – 3B |
| Nick Gonzales – SS | Tyler Stephenson – C |
| Nick Yorke – 2B | Will Benson – LF |
| Henry Davis – C | Matt McLain – 2B |
| Paul Skenes – RHP | Hunter Greene – RHP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Hunter Greene | 101.2 | 2.74 | 0.93 | 24 | 125 |
| Paul Skenes | 181.2 | 2.03 | 0.96 | 42 | 209 |
| Links: Hunter Greene’s Stats | Paul Skenes’ Stats |
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Hunter Greene
In his last start, Hunter Greene was nearly perfect. He gave up one hit and he walked one batter in a complete game shutout win against the Chicago Cubs. That start, though, followed perhaps his worst start in the last two years when he gave up five runs on four hits and four walks in 2.1 innings against the Athletics.
The splits against Greene this year basically don’t exist. Lefties hit for a lower average and a little more power. Righties have a higher average and they make a little more contact. Overall, though, there’s just a 12 point difference in the OPS against him between right-handed hitters and left-handed hitters.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 199 | 38 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 59 | .202 | .242 | .362 |
| LHH | 198 | 32 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 66 | .176 | .242 | .374 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | Slider | Split | |
| Velo | 99.5 | 89.6 | 88.4 |
| Usage | 54% | 35% | 11% |
Paul Skenes
Likely the winner of the NL Cy Young Award this year, Paul Skenes is going to make his final start of the year in this game. He leads the league with a 2.03 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, and a 0.5 HR/9-innings pitched among qualified starters. Six weeks ago he faced the Reds for the only time this season and fired off six shutout innings while giving up seven hits and walking no one. He’s coming off of the worst start of the year for him as the Cubs scored three runs on seven hits and three walks in 3.2 innings against him. He had only allowed three runs combined in his five previous starts.
The splits against Skenes this season favor left-handed hitters. They are hitting for a higher average, walk more frequently, and they hit for more power – though still very little power. Right-handed hitters have not been able to do anything at all against him all season long – posting a .500 OPS against him.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 327 | 57 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 87 | .184 | .226 | .274 |
| LHH | 384 | 75 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 28 | 122 | .213 | .276 | .341 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 98.3 | 95.4 | 83.8 | 84.7 | 88.7 |
| Usage | 39% | 24% | 5% | 22% | 11% |
When and Where
- Game time: 6:40pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: FanDuel Sports Network, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 74°, cloudy, 15% chance of rain
News and Notes
More Minor League Recognition
Baseball America named their 2025 Minor League All-Stars today. They had a 1st team and a 2nd team. There’s only one player named per position, except there are three outfielders and five starting pitchers. Cincinnati had two players make the list. Sal Stewart was named the 1st team’s third baseman and Alfredo Duno was named as the 2nd team’s catcher.
Scoreboard Watching
- The Mets are in Chicago to face the Cubs at 8:05pm ET.
- The Diamondbacks are at home facing the Dodgers at 9:40pm ET.
Wild Card Standings
With the division firmly out of reach, we are switching to the Wild Card standings for the rest of the season.
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Chicago | 88 | 69 | +7.0 | 100% |
| San Diego | 87 | 71 | +5.5 | 100% |
| New York | 81 | 76 | 0.0 | 68.0% |
| Cincinnati | 80 | 77 | 1.0 | 20.8% |
| Arizona | 80 | 77 | 1.0 | 11.0% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
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