Game Preview: Cincinnati Reds Travel to Pittsburgh for Four-Game Series with Pirates

The Reds are 62-65.

Greg Kuffner | Aug 22, 2024

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (40) pitches in the second inning of the MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds (62-65) rallied from down 6-0 to beat the Toronto Blue Jays (59-68) 11-7 on Wednesday night to win the series.

They head to Pittsburgh on Thursday to take on the Pirates in a four-game series.

Cincinnati is currently tied for third in the National League Central Division, while the Pirates are in last.

The Reds are led on offense by Elly De La Cruz. The shortstop has an OPS of .838 to go along with 58 extra-base hits and 60 stolen bases. On Wednesday, he became the fifth player ever to steal 60 bases and hit 20 home runs in a season.

The Pirates are led by Bryan Reynolds on offense with an OPS of .804 and 36 extra-base hits. Reynolds has killed the Reds over his career, slashing .269/.389/.549 against them. He has hit 16 home runs against Cincinnati, more than any other team.

The Reds are hoping Nick Lodolo can get back on track on Thursday night. He is 1-3 with a 7.15 ERA over his last nine starts, including last time out when he gave up eight runs on eight hits over 2 2/3 innings in a 13-1 loss to the Royals.

Paul Skenes will be making his 17th start of the season for the Pirates. The rookie is 7-2 with a 2.30 ERA.

He gave up two runs on three hits over six innings in a 5-3 win against the Mariners in his last start. He walked four and struck out six.

First pitch of the series opener between the Reds and Pirates will get underway at 6:40 ET.

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