Game Thread: September Baseball officially in full swing as management calls a close on competing

14 ¹⁄₂ games out of first place with only 24 remaining on the schedule, and with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians wrapping up their season yesterday falling short of a playoff berth, the Pirates recalled six more players from the minors today and three who spent most of the year down on the have been penciled into tonight’s starting lineup by manager Clint Hurdle.

With 25 year old left-hander Cody Reed (0-1, 3.26) on the mound for Cincinnati, the Pirates’ Pablo Reyes will get the the call at third base, the first start of his fresh major league career, Jordan Luplow spells Corey Dickerson in left and Jose Osuna gets a turn at first base.

This is Reed’s third start of this year and 14th of his career, which has seen him bounce up and down between the majors and Triple-A each of the least three seasons. Owner of a career 5.95 ERA, he’s been rather good in a small sample out of the bullpen with a 1.98 ERA covering 21 games and 27 ¹⁄₃ innings, but has gotten blasted to the tune of a 7.85 ERA and 16 home runs in 57 ¹⁄₂ innings in his previous 13 starts (averaging 4.4 innings per start) Reed’s fastball has averaged 93.0 mph this year and throws a slider 37% of the time and a change 12%. Tonight he’ll face seven right-handed batters in the starting lineup, against which in his career he’s allowed a .961 OPS in 293 plate appearances (305/399/562) compared to a much more respectable 225/296/326 vs left-handed batters.

The Pirates will counter with Joe Musgrove who’s last two starts have been rough, allowing nine runs, including four home runs, in a total of ten innings against the Brewers and Cardinals. Before that, he had a stretch of eight starts with a 2.52 ERA.

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REDS

1 S Billy Hamilton CF

2 R Jose Peraza SS

3 L Joey Votto 1B

4 L Scooter Gennett 2B

5 R Eugenio Suarez 3B

6 L Scott Schebler RF

7 S Tucker Barnhart C

8 R Philip Ervin LF

9 L Cody Reed LHP

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PIRATES

1 r Starling Marte CF

2 L Adam Frazier 2B

3 L Gregory Polanco RF

4 R Francisco Cervelli C

5 R Jose Osuna 1B

6 R Jordan Luplow LF

7 R Pablo Reyes 3B

8 R Jordy Mercer SS

9 R Joe Musgrove RHP