The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati to face the Reds on Monday night, carrying with them a dreadful eight-game losing streak. First pitch is set for 7:10 pm Eastern, and right-hander Alex McRae (0-2, 7.71) will be getting the spot start for the Bucs. He will be opposing righty Sonny Gray (5-6, 3.29).
The Pirates will call upon McRae as a result of a recent trade this afternoon which sent Jordan Lyles (the would-be starter for Monday’s game) to the Milwaukee Brewers. McRae has not started a game this season and has spent a lot of time with AAA Indianapolis, having pitched just 14 innings for the Pirates while filling in for injured relievers. That being said, he did pitch 4.1 innings on June 10th against the Atlanta Braves, so it’s possible that the Pirates can get four or five innings out of the 26-year-old if he pitches efficiently.
Gray is gearing up for his 21st start of the season, and he’s been on fire in the month of July. In four starts this month, Gray is sporting a 1.33 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 27 innings. He would be just fine with replicating his previous start against the Pirates in Cincy, as he cruised through six innings allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out seven Bucs. We’ll see if his success continues against what might be the coldest offense in the MLB right now.
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PIRATES
1 R Kevin Newman SS
2 L Adam Frazier 2B
3 R Starling Marte CF
4 S Josh Bell 1B
5 S Bryan Reynolds RF
6 L Colin Moran 3B
7 R Jose Osuna 3B
8 R Elias Diaz C
9 R Alex McRae RHP
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Reds
1 L Jesse Winker CF
2 L Joey Votto 1B
3 R Eugenio Suarez 3B
4 R Yasiel Puig RF
5 L Josh VanMeter LF
6 L Scooter Gennett 2B
7 R Jose Iglesias SS
8 S Tucker Barnhart C
9 R Sonny Gray RHP
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