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

What a night for Reds starter Wade Miley.

I would be remiss not to mention one of the most memorable nights Wade Miley has given me in my 40-plus years of Reds fandom. It was a historic night from one of the unlikeliest of sources, but that’s baseball.

Entering his 11th year in the majors and playing for this seventh franchise, Wade Miley has made a career of being steady but never spectacular. A lifetime 89-87 record with a 4.18 ERA will never garner a $100M contract, but it will keep you employed and provide opportunities such as the one he had last Friday night.

That’s not to say Miley’s career is without highlights. He’s been to an All-Star game and in 2012 finished second in the Rookie of Year balloting. He’s been on five teams that advanced to the postseason and has surrendered just four earned runs in 17.1 October innings.

However, when you think of guys likely to toss a no-hitter, Miley is pretty far down the list. He’s never going to light up the radar gun, and for his career, he’s allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings of work. But for one cold night in Cleveland, none of that mattered as Miley wrote his name into the history books and carved himself out a bit of legendary status in the Queen City.

Prediction

If the Cincinnati Reds are to be taken as serious contenders, this is the type of series they must take care of business. The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently in last place, and, to be honest, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them stay there for the rest of the season.

The talent discrepancy between the two rosters is vast. Look for the Reds to take two of three from the Bucs and get back to .500 as they prepare to head for the mountains and begin a four-game weekend set with the lowly Colorado Rockies.