The start of this series did not go well for the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night as the Pirates crushed four home runs in a 9-1 win. This afternoon the two teams are back at it in Pittsburgh for game two. First pitch today is scheduled for 4:05pm ET. While the broadcast is available on your normal stations, it will also be available on FS1.
Starting Lineups
Starting Pitchers
Rhett Lowder
He’s coming off of three strong starts after a hiccup in Miami in the middle of April. After giving up four home runs in last night’s game the Reds are hoping Lowder can keep the ball in the park – he’s given up just one home run in his 64.2 innings pitched in the big leagues.
The platoon splits against Lowder this season aren’t that big overall but the two groups to get to things a bit differently. Righties are hitting for a higher average but they also have hit for no power at all against him. They don’t walk at all, either. Lefties hit for a low average, but they walk more and while they don’t hit for much power they are hitting for more than righties are.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 58 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | .250 | .276 | .286 |
| LHH | 82 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 13 | .216 | .293 | .338 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | 2-Seam | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 93.1 | 92.5 | 85.0 | 86.1 |
| Usage | 24% | 31% | 25% | 21% |
Carmen Mlodzinski
In his first four games of the season Mlodzinki gave up just four earned runs while throwing 20.1 innings. But in his last two starts he’s struggled, giving up nine earned runs in 8.0 innings against the Rangers and Brewers.
Neither righties or lefties have hit for any power against Mlodzinski this season – he’s yet to allow a home run. But righties aren’t hitting for average, either. They are drawing a lot of walks, though. Left-handed hitters are hitting .303, but they aren’t walking much and aren’t making much contact, either.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 53 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | .222 | .321 | .267 |
| LHH | 73 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 17 | .303 | .347 | .394 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-sm | 2-sm | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Split | |
| Velo | 95.1 | 94.7 | 91.4 | 84.0 | 83.5 | 85.4 |
| Usage | 28% | 19% | 2% | 14% | 10% | 28% |
When and Where
- Game time: 4:05pm ET
- Where: PNC Park
- Watch: Reds MLB Channel, Reds.tv (in-market), MLB.tv (out of market), FS1
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 49°, cloudy, 15% chance of rain
News and Notes
Roster Moves for the Day
The Reds made three moves today before the game. Graham Ashcraft is back from the bereavement list, Zach Maxwell was optioned to Triple-A, and Nick Lodolo was sent out to Triple-A to make a rehab start tonight. We have more details on that here if you wanted more information.
Division Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Cincinnati | 20 | 12 | 0.0 | 33.2% |
| Chicago | 20 | 12 | 0.0 | 77.1% |
| Milwaukee | 19 | 13 | 1.0 | 42.0% |
| St. Louis | 17 | 14 | 2.5 | 23.0% |
| Pittsburgh | 17 | 16 | 3.5 | 50.5% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||