Pirates vs. Reds: LHP Francisco Liriano vs. RHP Alfredo Simon

As the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds clash on Saturday afternoon, it will be Francisco Liriano of the Bucs getting the ball against Alfredo Simon of the Redlegs.

LHP – Francisco Liriano – 7-10, 3.32 ERA, 157.1 IP, 1.28 WHIP, .217 OAV, 170 K

This season against the Reds:

April 16 (L) – 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 K

April 21 (ND) – 7 IP, 7 H, 5 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 4 K

July 13 (L) – 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 6 BB, 4 K

August 31 (ND) – 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K

Career against the Reds:

0-5, 4.01 ERA, 8 GS, 49.1 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 48 K, 7 HR allowed

Stats to know about Liriano:

-Still, Francisco Liriano is looking for his first regular season win against the Redlegs. Fans remember the complete and total domination he deployed in the 2013 Wild Card game, but it has been rare to see Liriano get anywhere near that performance in the regular season against Cincinnati.

-Having walked 76 batters in just over 157 innings, Liriano has shot himself in the foot once again. Were he able to consistently produce better command over his career (he hasn’t), then he would have the true potential to be an ace of a playoff staff (he does).

-Liriano is a beast on the road in 2014. His home record is 2-5 with a 4.35 ERA, yielding 79 hits in 82.2 innings of work. Yet on the road, he is 5-5 with a 2.17 ERA, and has allowed only 46 hits in 74.2 innings of work.

-His splits between the first and second half are even more drastic. Prior to the All-Star break, Liriano was 1-7 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. After the break, he has already thrown more innings in two less starts and has a 6-3 record with a 2.00 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.

Here is the lineup he will face via the team’s Twitter account:

3B – Kristopher Negron (1-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K’s)

2B – Brandon Phillips (5-for-25, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K’s)

1B – Todd Frazier (7-for-23, 2 2B’s, 2 HR’s, 3 RBI, 3 BB’s, 7 K’s)

C – Devin Mesoraco (4-for-9, 2 2B’s, 5 BB’s, 1 K)

CF – Chris Heisey (5-for-13, 2 2B’s, 2 HR’s, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K’s)

LF – Ryan Ludwick (7-for-19, 2 2B’s, 2 RBI, 2 BB’s, 4 K’s)

RF – Yorman Rodriguez (yet to face Liriano)

SS – Ramon Santiago (4-for-12, 2 BB’s, 2 K’s)

P – Alfredo Simon (yet to face Liriano)

* * *

RHP – Alfredo Simon – 15-10, 3.34 ERA, 191.1 IP, 1.20 WHIP, .245 OAV, 123 K

This season against the Pirates:

April 23 (W) – 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 4 K

June 18 (W) – 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K

August 30 (L) – 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 K

Career against the Pirates:

3-4, 3.05 ERA, 17 G (3 GS), 41.1 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 33 K, 2 HR allowed

Stats to know about Simon:

-September has yielded Simon’s highest career ERA for any single month. Sitting at an unappealing 4.59 currently, that number is skewed by past transgressions with the Baltimore Orioles, but nonetheless, Simon’s history at the end of the season leaves room for improvement.

-The numbers in the second half opposed to the first half really are that bad. While his first half was nearly the stuff of Cy Young candidates at 12-3 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, his second half has produced a 3-7 record with a 4.34 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, while allowing more earned runs in 74.2 innings than his 116.2 in the first half.

-Simon has been particularly stingy against the opposition’s cleanup hitter this season. With a batting average of just .176 and an OPS of .498 (just one home run allowed all year), the spot in the lineup where the thunder is usually positioned has not struck Simon in 2014.

Here is the lineup he will face via the team’s Twitter account:

3B – Josh Harrison (3-for-11, 2 K’s)

RF – Travis Snider (5-for-12, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB’s, 3 K’s)

CF – Andrew McCutchen (5-for-19, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB’s, 4 K’s)

2B – Neil Walker (2-for-14, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB’s, 4 K’s)

LF – Starling Marte (5-for-17, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K’s)

1B – Ike Davis (2-for-12, 1 2B, 2 BB’s, 2 K’s)

SS – Jordy Mercer (2-for-12, 1 BB, 2 K’s)

C – Chris Stewart (1-for-3)

P – Francisco Liriano (1 SAC bunt)