Pittsburgh Pirates (25-25, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Cincinnati Reds (24-28, fifth in the NL Central)
Cincinnati; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Reds favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates will square off in a doubleheader Monday.
The Reds are 8-14 against teams from the NL Central. Cincinnati has slugged .398 this season. Derek Dietrich leads the team with a .645 slugging percentage, including 16 extra-base hits and 13 home runs.
The Pirates are 9-6 against the rest of their division. The Pittsburgh pitching staff has a combined team ERA of 4.74, Joe Musgrove paces the staff with a mark of 4.58. The Pirates won the last meeting 7-5. Chris Archer earned his first victory and Josh Bell went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and two RBIs for Pittsburgh. Anthony DeSclafani took his first loss for Cincinnati.
TOP PERFORMERS: Eugenio Suarez leads the Reds with 14 home runs and is slugging .551. Yasiel Puig is 8-for-32 with two home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Cincinnati.
Bell leads the Pirates with 35 extra base hits and is batting .341. Elias Diaz has 13 hits and is batting .000 over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
LAST 10 GAMES: Reds: 5-5, .263 batting average, 4.75 ERA
Pirates: 4-6, .270 batting average, 5.66 ERA, outscored by 12 runs
Reds Injuries: Alex Wood: 10-day IL (back), Zach Duke: 10-day IL (right calf strain), Scooter Gennett: 60-day IL (groin), Alex Blandino: 10-day IL (knee).
Pirates Injuries: Trevor Williams: 10-day IL (right side strain), Jameson Taillon: 60-day IL (elbow), Chris Stratton: 10-day IL (undisclosed), Edgar Santana: 60-day IL (elbow), Chad Kuhl: 60-day IL (elbow), Keone Kela: 10-day IL (shoulder), Nick Burdi: 60-day IL (biceps), Corey Dickerson: 10-day IL (shoulder), Lonnie Chisenhall: 60-day IL (finger), Jung Ho Kang: 10-day IL (side), Erik Gonzalez: 60-day IL (collarbone), Francisco Cervelli: 7-day IL (concussion).
