Cincinnati Reds (37-42, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (41-40, fourth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Andrew Abbott (5-4, 3.83 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 64 strikeouts); Pirates: Paul Skenes (6-7, 2.86 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 107 strikeouts)
LINE: Pirates -223, Reds +180; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates open a three-game series at home against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.
Pittsburgh has a 41-40 record overall and a 22-20 record at home. The Pirates have the seventh-best team slugging percentage in MLB play at .411.
Cincinnati has an 18-20 record on the road and a 37-42 record overall. The Reds are fifth in the NL with 97 total home runs, averaging 1.2 per game.
The matchup Friday is the seventh time these teams square off this season. The Pirates hold a 5-1 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brandon Lowe leads the Pirates with 19 home runs while slugging .515. Bryan Reynolds is 17 for 36 with four doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs over the past 10 games.
Sal Stewart has 17 doubles, 14 home runs and 54 RBIs for the Reds. Noelvi Marte is 7 for 36 with three doubles, three home runs and four RBIs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 5-5, .285 batting average, 3.00 ERA, outscored opponents by 11 runs
Reds: 4-6, .210 batting average, 3.30 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Spencer Horwitz: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Konnor Griffin: 10-Day IL (flexor tendon), Jared Jones: day-to-day (arm), Oneil Cruz: 10-Day IL (hand), Chris Devenski: 60-Day IL (illness), Wilber Dotel: 15-Day IL (lat)
Reds: Ke'Bryan Hayes: 10-Day IL (back), Emilio Pagan: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Nick Lodolo: day-to-day (wrist), Graham Ashcraft: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Hunter Greene: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
