The Pittsburgh Pirates lost a close 2-1 game to the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on Tuesday night in a pitchers’ duel. Bailey Falter pitched well for the Pirates, but Reds’ left-hander Nick Lodolo outperformed him. Ke’Bryan Hayes managed to hit a solo home run off Lodolo for the only run for the Pirates.
The two teams will wrap up their series on Wednesday afternoon with Mitch Keller taking the mound for the Pirates and Hunter Greene pitching for the Reds. Keller, with an 8-4 record and a 3.36 ERA, had his six-game winning streak snapped in his last outing against the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite this setback, Keller has been one of the top pitchers in baseball since early May, boasting a 1.77 ERA during that period.
However, Keller has struggled against the Reds in his career, with a 2-4 record and a 6.03 ERA in 14 starts. On the other side, Hunter Greene, with a 5-2 record and a 3.61 ERA, hasn’t been as sharp in his recent starts, posting a 5.60 ERA in his last three outings. While Greene leads the league in walks issued, he has held batters to a .205 batting average this season.
When facing Keller, Reds hitters like TJ Friedl and Tyler Stephenson have struggled, while Jonathan India has had success against him. On the other hand, Pirates hitters like Rowdy Tellez and Bryan Reynolds have had some success against Greene, who has yet to earn a win against Pittsburgh despite a good performance.
In other news, Bryan Reynolds extended his hitting streak to 16 games, Connor Joe has been struggling at the plate in June, and Mitch Keller has been consistent in pitching at least six innings in his last seven starts.
Overall, the pitching matchup between Keller and Greene promises to be an exciting one as the Pirates and Reds battle it out in their series finale. The game will be aired on SportsNet Pittsburgh, with first pitch set for 12:35 ET. Fans can expect temperatures in the 90’s with a slight breeze from the south during the game.