clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Series preview: New blood leads Pirates into Cincinnati

Another chapter of Pirates vs. Reds.

By Jeremy_Brener
MLB: AUG 04 Pirates at Brewers Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Pittsburgh Pirates (41-67) vs. Cincinnati Reds (57-51), August 5-8, 2021

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

TV: AT&T Sports Pittsburgh

Radio: KDKA-AM

Reds SB Nation Site: Red Reporter

The Pirates head to Cincinnati this weekend to play four with the Reds.

Here’s a look at what we can expect this weekend:

Projected Starters

Thursday, 7:10 p.m. EST

Wil Crowe (3-5, 5.40 ERA) vs. Sonny Gray (3-6, 4.26 ERA)

Friday, 7:10 p.m. EST

JT Brubaker (4-10, 4.49 ERA) vs. Wade Miley (8-4, 2.92 ERA)

Saturday, 7:10 p.m. EST

Mitch Keller (3-8, 7.05 ERA) vs. Vladimir Gutierrez (6-3, 4.39 ERA)

Sunday, 1:10 p.m. EST

Bryse Wilson (2-4, 4.42 ERA) vs. Tyler Mahle (8-3, 3.86 ERA)

Projected Lineups

Pirates

  1. Hoy Park (RF)
  2. Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B)
  3. Bryan Reynolds (CF)
  4. John Nogowski (1B)
  5. Ben Gamel (LF)
  6. Jacob Stallings (C)
  7. Rodolfo Castro (2B)
  8. Kevin Newman (SS)
  9. Starting Pitcher

Reds

  1. Jonathan India (2B)
  2. Jesse Winker (LF)
  3. Kyle Farmer (SS)
  4. Joey Votto (1B)
  5. Arisitides Aquino (RF)
  6. Eugenio Suarez (3B)
  7. Tucker Barnhart
  8. Shogo Akiyama (CF)
  9. Starting Pitcher

The Pirates haven’t had a whole lot of success against the Reds this season, winning just one of the first six meetings this season.

The Reds have had a good year, playing above .500 but are sitting in no man’s land 7.5 games back of the division and four games back of the second wild card spot. Maybe a series with the Buccos is exactly what they need.

But don’t count out the scrappy Pirates, who seem to always play against expectations. Against bad teams, they play down to competition and against good competition, well, they play up.

The weekend should be highlighted by the new blood in the Pirates lineup. Right fielder Hoy Park provided some fun at the leadoff spot in Milwaukee and we’d be surprised if he wasn’t at the top of the lineup card for most, if not all, of the weekend.

Wil Crowe, coming off his one-hit outing last week, gets the start Thursday against Sonny Gray.

Brubaker and Keller grab the middle games of the series before Bryse Wilson brings us home on Sunday. Wilson impressed in his first outing as a Pirate Monday, giving up just two hits in five innings.

While the Pirates may not be playing for much, there is still a lot of intrigue down the stretch and every day when the team takes the field.

More From Bucs Dugout