Series preview: Can Pirates spoil Reds again?

Pittsburgh Pirates (56-93) vs. Cincinnati Reds (77-73), September 20-22, 2021

Location: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH

TV: AT&T Sports Pittsburgh

Radio: KDKA-AM

Reds SB Nation Site: Red Reporter

The Pirates face the Reds in a crucial series that could dictate how the NL Wild Card Race ends.

Here’s a look at what we can expect this week:

Projected Starters

Monday, 6:40 p.m. EST

Dillon Peters (1-2, 2.66 ERA) vs. Vladimir Gutierrez (9-6, 4.25 ERA)

Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EST

Mitch Keller (4-11, 6.14 ERA) vs. Tyler Mahle (12-5, 3.59 ERA)

Wednesday, 12:35 p.m. EST

TBD vs. Luis Castillo (8-15, 4.08 ERA)

Projected Lineups

Pirates

1. Ke’Bryan Hayes (R) 3B
2. Kevin Newman (R) SS
3. Bryan Reynolds (S) CF
4. Colin Moran (L) 1B
5. Anthony Alford (R) LF
6. Michael Perez (L) C
7. Cole Tucker (S) RF
8. Hoy Park (L) 2B
9. Starting Pitcher

Reds

1. Jonathan India (R) 2B
2. Kyle Farmer (R) SS
3. Nick Castellanos (R) RF
4. Tyler Stephenson (R) 1B
5. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
6. Aristides Aquino (R) LF
7. Jose Barrero (R) CF
8. Tucker Barnhart (L) C
9. Starting Pitcher

Last week, the Pirates taking two of three from the Reds hurt their playoff positioning.

Now, the Reds cannot afford to drop a game when the Pirates come to town for three this week.

The Pirates are riding momentum by winning each of the past five series, but let’s see if it can keep up in Cincinnati, where the Pirates have struggled immensely all year long.