Photo: Doug Gray
After dropping three of four in Arizona, the Cincinnati Reds head back to California to start a 3-game series with the San Francisco Giants. Both teams are in third place in their division and are both 1.5 games back of the Diamondbacks for the final wild card spot. Tonight’s 1st pitch is scheduled for 9:45pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Starting Pitchers
Andrew Abbott
The last time out, Abbott allowed three runs and issues a career high four walks in 4.0 innings against the Angels. Following that start his ERA climbed over 3.00 for the first time in his career following the end of a start.
Left-handed hitters don’t get much done against Abbott. They also don’t get many opportunities to face off against him, either. In 64 plate appearances they’ve only had three extra-base hits against him and are hitting just .180. Right-handed hitters aren’t exactly good against Abbott, but they do much better than lefties – hitting for a higher average, making more contact, walking more often, and hitting for more power.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 283 | 58 | 16 | 1 | 10 | 28 | 70 | .231 | .304 | .422 |
| LHH | 64 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 23 | .180 | .219 | .295 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 92.5 | 80.8 | 82.8 | 86.4 |
| Usage | 50% | 17% | 17% | 16% |
Kyle Harrison
One of the top prospects for the Giants, Harrison will be making just his second big league start tonight. In his debut last week he allowed two runs in 3.1 innings against Philadelphia. San Francisco has limited his usage this season as he’s only record an out in the 5th inning of a start twice this year in 22 games.
The 22-year-old lefty has been much better against lefties this year, holding them to a .646 OPS. Left-handed hitters don’t make much contact against him, but they’ve had a solid walk rate against him. Right-handed hitters haven’t hit for much average, but they walk a lot against him and they’ve hit for a lot of power – granted it’s been mostly in the Pacific Coast League, and that league plays quite a bit different than the big ballpark in San Francisco does.
Splits (AAA & MLB)
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 214 | 38 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 38 | 78 | .220 | .369 | .491 |
| LHH | 103 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 36 | .214 | .320 | .326 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | Slider | Curve | Change | |
| Velo | 94.4 | 84.8 | 82.8 | 87.1 |
| Usage | 63% | 26% | 26% | 4% |
When and Where
- Game time: 9:45pm ET
- Where: Oracle Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv (out of market)
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 69°, sunny, 0% chance of rain
News and Notes
Matt McLain to the injured list
Prior to the game today the Reds announced that Matt McLain was heading to the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. They also activated Stuart Fairchild from the 7-day concussion list.
Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Brewers | 73 | 57 | 0.0 | 97.1% |
| Cubs | 69 | 61 | 4.0 | 65.8% |
| Reds | 68 | 64 | 6.0 | 20.4% |
| Pirates | 58 | 73 | 15.5 | 0.0% |
| Cardinals | 56 | 75 | 17.5 | 0.0% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
