Reds host the Pirates to start 3-game series

Pittsburgh Pirates (72-81, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Cincinnati Reds (79-75, third in the NL Central)

Cincinnati; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Luis L. Ortiz (4-5, 4.85 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 50 strikeouts); Reds: Andrew Abbott (8-5, 3.68 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 112 strikeouts)

BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday to begin a three-game series.

Cincinnati is 37-41 at home and 79-75 overall. The Reds have the 10th-ranked team batting average in the NL at .247.

Pittsburgh has gone 34-41 on the road and 72-81 overall. The Pirates have a 29-8 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.

The matchup Friday is the 11th time these teams match up this season. The Pirates have a 6-4 advantage in the season series.

TOP PERFORMERS: Spencer Steer leads the Reds with 22 home runs while slugging .456. Noelvi Marte is 14-for-34 with a double, a home run and three RBI over the past 10 games.

Bryan Reynolds has 31 doubles, five triples and 22 home runs for the Pirates. Ke'Bryan Hayes is 16-for-42 with five doubles, a home run and five RBI over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Reds: 6-4, .223 batting average, 4.25 ERA, outscored by four runs

Pirates: 6-4, .260 batting average, 5.46 ERA, outscored by six runs

INJURIES: Reds: Harrison Bader: 10-Day IL (groin), Graham Ashcraft: 60-Day IL (toe), Tejay Antone: 15-Day IL (elbow), Matt McLain: 10-Day IL (oblique), Kevin Newman: 10-Day IL (oblique), Curt Casali: 10-Day IL (foot), Nick Lodolo: 60-Day IL (calf), Reiver Sanmartin: 60-Day IL (elbow), Connor Overton: 60-Day IL (elbow), Justin Dunn: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Vladimir Gutierrez: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Pirates: Andrew McCutchen: 60-Day IL (achilles), Angel Perdomo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tucupita Marcano: 60-Day IL (knee), Vince Velasquez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Oneil Cruz: 60-Day IL (ankle), JT Brubaker: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jarlin Garcia: 60-Day IL (arm)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press