Reds vs. Pirates: Preview, pitching matchup, and prediction

Six of the Reds final 12 games are against the Pirates.

The Cincinnati Reds (77-73) are running out of time. The Redlegs trails the St. Louis Cardinals by three games in the chase for the final Wild Card spot with 12 left to play. Thankfully, six of the Reds’ upcoming contests are against the Pittsburgh Pirates (56-93).

On the flip side, the Redbirds have 14 games remaining and seven of those are against the NL Central Division Champion Milwaukee Brewers. St. Louis is riding an eight-game winning streak while Cincinnati has dropped eight consecutive series. The Reds are 8-16 in their last 24 games. Ouch!

Before this horrific streak began, the Reds were 12 games over .500 and looked to be a lock for the postseason. According to Baseball Reference, over the past month, the Redlegs chances of making the playoffs has gone down 44.7%. Only the New York Yankees’ postseason aspirations have taken a bigger hit.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, have seen their postseason odds increase by 72.4% in the past month as Mike Shildt’s ball club sits atop the Wild Card standings with both the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies sitting three games back. The Reds playoff chances now sit at 17.9%.

But, there’s reason for hope, Reds Country. The Redlegs close out the season with six games versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, four against the Washington Nationals, and two with the soon-to-be crowned AL Central Champion Chicago White Sox. The Reds have everything to play for over the next two weeks and their opponents do not.

Pittsburgh is on their way to a 100-loss season, the Nationals are 3-7 over their last 10 games, and the White Sox will probably be more concerned about setting their rotation for the postseason than winning games by the time Cincinnati rolls into the Windy City.

The Cardinals face two of Milwaukee’s best starters (Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff) in the coming days, and if the Reds can upend the Buccos, there’s a chance that Cincinnati can be right back in the thick of the playoff hunt by the end of the week. Let’s preview the upcoming series against the Pirates, shall we?