The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates have split the first two games of their series. The winner today will take the series victory. Mike Minor will take the mound for the Reds, while Zach Thompson will be out there for the Pirates. First pitch is set for 1:35pm.
Starting Lineups
Here are the lineups for this today’s series finale:
Cincinnati Reds
|
Pittsburgh Pirates
|
| Jake Fraley – DH | |
| Jonathan India – 2B | |
| Donovan Solano – 3B | |
| Mike Moustakas – 1B | |
| Nick Senzel – CF | |
| Matt Reynolds – SS | |
| TJ Friedl – LF | |
| Aristides Aquino – RF | |
| Michael Papierski – C | |
| Mike Minor – SP | Zach Thompson – SP |
The Pirates still have not released their lineup, but the game begins in less than an hour. We will update the lineup once it’s posted.
Starting Pitchers
Mike Minor
If there’s one thing we can say about Mike Minor this season it’s that he’s been consistent. Of course, it’s been consistently bad as he’s managed just two starts this season where he allowed fewer than three runs and at no point at the end of a game he’s pitched has his ERA been under 6.19 and he’s about to make his 14th start of the season today.
Teams don’t put too many left-handed hitters in their lineups against Mike Minor. The ones who do get into the lineup against him don’t hit for much average and they don’t walk or get on base. When they do find hits they tend to have a little bit of power behind them. Right-handed hitters, though, they are doing everything well against Minor as they are posting an average over .300, making plenty of contact, and hitting for elite-levels of power.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 232 | 62 | 18 | 0 | 14 | 25 | 41 | .312 | .397 | .613 |
| LHH | 80 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 17 | .224 | .263 | .408 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | Slider | Change | Curve | |
| Velo | 90.5 | 85.0 | 84.3 | 78.9 |
| Usage | 43.2% | 22.2% | 24.7% | 9.8% |
Zach Thompson
The Reds have faced Zach Thompson twice this season. In back-to-back starts against the Reds on May 8th and 14th and he allowed three hits and no runs over 11.0 innings while striking out nine batters and walking just three.
Teams have tried to stack lefties against Zach Thompson this season, but it’s righties that are hitting him significantly better this season. Most of that comes down to them having a BABIP that is 83 points higher, but it’s led to big advantages across the board. There’s not much difference in power output or walk rates, but righties are making more contact and hitting far more singles while mostly matching the power that lefties are showing.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 220 | 64 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 18 | 30 | .317 | .373 | .490 |
| LHH | 206 | 43 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 21 | 37 | .236 | .320 | .434 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Change | Curve | |
| Velo | 92.3 | 92.2 | 86.5 | 85.8 | 77.1 |
| Usage | 15.9% | 22.1% | 34.8% | 10.3% | 16.9% |
When and Where
- Game time: 1:35pm ET
- Where: PNC Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv (out of market)
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 74°, cloudy, 20% chance of rain
News and Notes
Connor Overton has a setback
Connor Overton tweaked his hamstring in Arizona, so a setback on his timing for a rehab assignment and potential return to the Reds. He’s still throwing long toss.
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) August 21, 2022
