Reds vs. Pirates: Pitching preview, prediction, and more

Pirates are suffering from a lack of power at the plate and on the mound.

Entering play yesterday, the Pittsburgh offense was dead last in the National League with an anemic 22 round-trippers and a .345 slugging rate. No Pirate has gone deep more than four times this season. By comparison, the Reds have five players with five or more homers.

What the Bucs offense does consistently is put the ball in play. Their 267 strikeouts as play began yesterday were the third-fewest in the senior circuit. Considering they’ll be facing a less than stellar Cincinnati defense putting the ball in play could pay huge dividends.

First baseman Colin Moran is off to a solid start at the plate. The power-hitting leftie was slashing .297/.352/.468 with a team-leading four home runs and 19 RBIs as play began Sunday. Moran also loves facing Cincinnati pitching, but due to a left groin injury, Moran was placed on the 10-day IL and will miss the upcoming series with the Reds.

A lack of firepower also extends to the Pittsburgh pitching staff. Pirate hurlers have fanned only 275 opposing hitters, placing them 13th in the NL. Despite those less than intimidating numbers, there are a couple of relievers who rack up K’s by the boatload.

Right-hander Duane Underwood Jr. and southpaw Sam Howard have combined for 38 strikeouts in just 27.2 frames. Don’t be surprised to see Bucs skipper Derek Shelton give the ball to Howard to face Mike Moustakas late in the game. The left-hander has retired Moose in each of their three battles.

One familiar face Reds Country will likely see in this series is old friend Todd Frazier. However, Flava Fraz is a shell of his former self. The 35-year-old former Redleg has collected just three hits in 35 at-bats on the season.