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MLB : ATS Matchup
Saturday 10/3/2015Line$ LineOU LineScore
CINCINNATI  FINNEGAN )
 
PITTSBURGH  BURNETT )
+1.5  -125

-1.5  +105
+175

-185

7.5un
 
3
Final
1

CINCINNATI (62 - 98) at PITTSBURGH (97 - 63)
View Previous GameView Next Game
Saturday, 10/3/2015 7:05 PM
BRANDON FINNEGAN (L) vs. A.J. BURNETT (R)
Board OpeningLatest
 LineTotalLineTotal
903CINCINNATI+185Ov 7.5,-110+190Ov 7.5,+100
904PITTSBURGH-200Un 7.5,-110-210Un 7.5,-120
ADVANCED TEAM STATS
CINCINNATI - Current Season Performance
 Team RecordsTeamOpponent
 W-LUnitsO-URunsAvgOBPSLGOPSRunsAvgOBPSLGOPS
All Games62-98-33.683-714.00.2490.3100.3960.7064.70.2580.3250.4200.744
Road Games29-50-16.337-403.70.2430.3000.3850.6864.50.2560.3240.4230.747
vs Right-handed Starters47-72-23.359-564.00.2490.3120.3960.7074.70.2600.3250.4220.747
Past 7 Games0-7-75-22.10.2160.2440.2860.5306.90.2840.3600.4710.831
Grass Games62-98-33.683-714.00.2490.3100.3960.7064.70.2580.3250.4200.744
Night Games46-63-12.258-474.20.2520.3130.4060.7204.60.2550.3210.4160.738
Division31-43-6.538-334.10.2460.3070.3920.6994.50.2490.3180.4090.727
CINCINNATI - Team Hitting and Fielding Statistics
Team BattingTeam BattingTeam Fielding
 RunsAVGOBPGABH2B3BHRSLGRBIBBSOSBLOBGIDPERRDPOSB
All Games4.00.2490.31016055091371257271660.3966104891235132113613690131100
Road Games3.70.2430.30079273466412117780.3852822256167053776546840
Righty Starters4.00.2490.31211940991022194171240.396455371910102870967010382
CINCINNATI - Bullpen Pitching Statistics
 ERAWHIPIPRERHHRBBSOW-LSVBSVPct.
All Games3.981.351542.62642405045822949522-31342063%
Road Games4.271.496236132112241261121928-17181064.3%

PITTSBURGH - Current Season Performance
 Team RecordsTeamOpponent
 W-LUnitsO-URunsAvgOBPSLGOPSRunsAvgOBPSLGOPS
All Games97-63+22.475-734.30.2600.3170.3970.7133.70.2490.3050.3620.667
Home Games52-27+15.240-354.30.2590.3180.3940.7123.50.2420.2960.3550.651
vs Left-handed Starters20-15+1.714-204.00.2670.3230.3810.7043.90.2440.3000.3620.662
Past 7 Games4-3+0.43-43.10.1970.2740.3160.5903.70.2330.2850.3760.661
Grass Games97-63+22.475-734.30.2600.3170.3970.7133.70.2490.3050.3620.667
Night Games67-47+9.457-494.40.2610.3190.3950.7143.90.2530.3090.3720.681
Division33-41-15.739-294.00.2420.3030.3760.6794.20.2610.3220.3840.706
PITTSBURGH - Team Hitting and Fielding Statistics
Team BattingTeam BattingTeam Fielding
 RunsAVGOBPGABH2B3BHRSLGRBIBBSOSBLOBGIDPERRDPOSB
All Games4.30.2600.31716055651449289261390.3976574581305971151147120176143
Home Games4.30.2590.31879267269212313710.3943252306034954878569366
Lefty Starters4.00.2670.323351202321577220.381136992862026532273337
PITTSBURGH - Bullpen Pitching Statistics
 ERAWHIPIPRERHHRBBSOW-LSVBSVPct.
All Games2.701.1765171721554483816045831-16541380.6%
Home Games2.441.099276.78175227217724723-728877.8%
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
CINCINNATI - Schedule
 Team StatsOpp Stats
DateTeam StarterOpponentOpp StarterScoreW/LLineTot.O/UHLOBEHLOBE
9/19/2015SMITH(R)@ MILWAUKEEJUNGMANN(R)9-7W1308.5 unO13801261
9/20/2015DESCLAFANI(R)@ MILWAUKEEPENA(R)4-8L-1157.5 unO76313130
9/21/2015LAMB(L)@ ST LOUISGARCIA(L)1-2L1557 ovU860880
9/22/2015SAMPSON(R)@ ST LOUISLACKEY(R)1-3L1827.5 unU1190780
9/23/2015FINNEGAN(L)@ ST LOUISLYNN(R)2-10L1457.5 unO6301360
9/24/2015SMITH(R)NY METSMATZ(L)4-6L+1509 unO11701270
9/25/2015DESCLAFANI(R)NY METSSYNDERGAARD(R)5-12L+1207.5 unO11711440
9/26/2015LAMB(L)NY METSHARVEY(R)2-10L+1357.5 unO131111051
9/27/2015SAMPSON(R)NY METSDEGROM(R)1-8L+1157.5 unO7721391
9/28/2015FINNEGAN(L)@ WASHINGTONSCHERZER(R)1-5L1757 ovU3411280
9/29/2015SMITH(R)CHICAGO CUBSHAREN(R)1-4L+1258.5 ovU3328132
9/30/2015DESCLAFANI(R)CHICAGO CUBSLESTER(L)3-10L+1457 ovO4201690
10/1/2015LAMB(L)CHICAGO CUBSHAMMEL(R)3-5L+1057.5 unO1290852
10/2/2015SAMPSON(R)@ PITTSBURGHLIRIANO(L)4-6L2207 unO11111772
10/3/2015FINNEGAN(L)@ PITTSBURGHBURNETT(R) 
10/4/2015SMITH(R)@ PITTSBURGHHAPP(L) 

PITTSBURGH - Schedule
 Team StatsOpp Stats
DateTeam StarterOpponentOpp StarterScoreW/LLineTot.O/UHLOBEHLOBE
9/19/2015LIRIANO(L)@ LA DODGERSKERSHAW(L)3-2W1706.5 unU860530
9/20/2015COLE(R)@ LA DODGERSBOLSINGER(R)4-3W-1307.5 ovU1290623
9/21/2015BURNETT(R)@ COLORADOGRAY(R)9-3W-11011 ovO15919101
9/22/2015HAPP(L)@ COLORADORUSIN(L)6-3W-14011 unU11120841
9/23/2015MORTON(R)@ COLORADOBERGMAN(R)13-7W-13511 evO191201260
9/24/2015LOCKE(L)@ COLORADOBETTIS(R)5-4W-13011 unU1282980
9/25/2015COLE(R)@ CHICAGO CUBSLESTER(L)3-2W1056.5 unU740770
9/26/2015LIRIANO(L)@ CHICAGO CUBSHAMMEL(R)4-0W-1107.5 unU1090471
9/27/2015BURNETT(R)@ CHICAGO CUBSARRIETA(R)0-4L1657 ovU120980
9/28/2015HAPP(L)ST LOUISLYNN(R)0-3L-1407 ovU6161621
9/30/2015COLE(R)ST LOUISWACHA(R)8-2W-1556.5 unO960851
9/30/2015MORTON(R)ST LOUISLYONS(L)1-11L-1257.5 unO6401280
10/2/2015LIRIANO(L)CINCINNATISAMPSON(R)6-4W-2407 unO77211111
10/3/2015BURNETT(R)CINCINNATIFINNEGAN(L) 
10/4/2015HAPP(L)CINCINNATISMITH(R) 
KEY GAME INFORMATION
CINCINNATI: CINCINNATI (AP) - The rotation was Cincinnati's strength in an otherwise disappointing season last year. It's the Reds' biggest question as they try to move forward.
They're not sure what they're getting beyond 20-game-winner Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, the only two holdovers who are healthy enough to pitch as the season begins. They've got some veteran retreads and unproven young starters trying to hold it together.
The rotation could be a work in progress well into the season.
''I know what the regular lineup looks like,'' second-year manager Bryan Price said. ''The biggest challenge is the bullpen and deciding roles and finalizing the last two starting pitchers.''
The Reds created two openings by trading Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon in the offseason. Homer Bailey hasn't fully recovered from surgery on his forearm and won't be ready until at least mid-April.
Cincinnati is counting on Anthony DeSclafani, who was acquired from Miami in the trade for Latos, to fill one of the spots. The rest of the rotation was under construction late in spring training, a sign of how much things had changed from a year ago.
''We feel we have a competitive team,'' Price said. ''This isn't a rebuilt situation. So we have to feel as confident as we can one-through-five in our rotation.''
The Reds lost 86 games last season in large part because of a subpar offense and a bullpen that finished as one of the NL's worst. They've tried to fix those two problems in the offseason through trades and free agency.
Now, a lot of it is on the starters to make it hold together during a special season in Cincinnati, which will host the All-Star Game. Some things to watch:
---
CUETO'S CONTRACT
Cueto is entering the final year on his deal. The Reds have talked to him about an extension, but nothing was imminent as spring training wound down. If Cueto doesn't have an extension by midseason, the Reds would be in the position of considering a trade offer rather than letting him leave as a free agent after the season.
---
VOTTO'S LEG
First baseman Joey Votto didn't play after July 5 because of strained muscles above his left knee. The 2010 National League MVP felt good in spring training. The Reds struggled to score runs last season despite playing in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. If Votto is back to form, the offense will get a huge boost. The question is whether he can make it through the season without getting hurt again.
''I think that I've proven when healthy that I'm a helpful part of the team,'' Votto said.
---
NEEDING RELIEF
The bullpen was one of the biggest problems in the second half of the season, contributing to the Reds' collapse. They were only 1 1/2 games out in the NL Central at the All-Star break, but went 25-42 the rest of the way. The bullpen was 1-17 after the break. Closer Aroldis Chapman was dependable, but the middle of the bullpen was a huge problem. The Reds added Burke Badenhop and Kevin Gregg to try to help, and moved left-hander Tony Cingrani into a relief role during spring training.
---
OUT IN LEFT FIELD
Ryan Ludwick struggled in his return from a significant shoulder injury, and nobody else excelled in left field, either, making it the biggest weakness in the lineup. The Reds got Marlon Byrd in a trade with the Phillies, hoping to finally stabilize the position. The 14-year veteran knows there's a lot at stake in how he performs.
''Yes, there is pressure and there should be,'' Byrd said. ''This is a team that wanted me. I've got to come in to fill that veteran role, the left field spot, and bring some pop to the lineup. I have to do what I've done the last two years. To do any less is just a failure on my part.''
---
RUN BILLY RUN
Center fielder Billy Hamilton had an exceptional rookie season, stealing a club-record 56 bases. He wore down as the season went along, batting only .200 with 18 steals in the second half. The 6-foot, 160-pound leadoff hitter lifted weights in the offseason, trying to get stronger so he doesn't fade again.
''I'm not a power hitter, but I want to be stronger than last year,'' Hamilton said.
PITTSBURGH: PITTSBURGH (AP) - The scenario was familiar. The destination not so much.
A veteran player with not much time left leaving millions of dollars on the table for one last run to glory. Only A.J. Burnett didn't walk away from his $12.75 million player option with the Philadelphia Phillies for Los Angeles, Washington or St. Louis.
Nope, the 38-year-old well-traveled (and well tattooed) pitcher practically sprinted to Pittsburgh. His arrival in 2012 marked a sea change in the once-floundering organization's direction. His return three years later signals - he hopes - the end of the team's slow but steady slog from downtrodden afterthought to world champion. And he's not kidding.
''I want to win a ring and I want to win a ring in Pittsburgh,'' Burnett said.
The Pirates are as close to being in the conversation as they've been in nearly a quarter century. And they've opened up their wallets, at least a little, to get there. Pittsburgh made Francisco Liriano the highest-paid free agent in team history when they signed lefthander to a three-year, $39-million deal in the offseason to continue the career resurgence that began when they took a two-year flier on him in 2013. And while Burnett took a cut, he isn't exactly going broke. He'll make $8 million to work as the third man in the rotation behind Liriano and Gerrit Cole.
Pittsburgh even spent $5 million for the rights to sign Korean infielder Jung-Ho Kang, who hit 40 home runs on the other side of the world last year and gives the Pirates an intriguing if unproven option should shortstop Jordy Mercer falter or second baseman Neil Walker's back flare up.
General manager Neal Huntington remains adamant his team's budget will never compare to those of clubs in larger markets but allows there is ''more margin for error'' than in years' past.
''We've built a deeper club because of the money allocated to us,'' he said. ''But we need to continue to grow and mature. We want to put ourselves in a position to win the World Series.''
There are worse places to start than in Pittsburgh, which backed up its breakthrough year in 2013 with a second straight postseason berth in 2014. The playoff run ended abruptly against Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants in the NL wild card game. Yet the point had been made. The Pirates aren't going anywhere.
''It would've been easy to say 2013 was a fluke and we just got lucky,'' centerfielder Andrew McCutchen said. ''But we showed up in `14 and were able to do the same thing. We know we're for real. And other teams know they just can't come in (thinking), `All right, we're going to beat the Pirates.' We're not that team anymore.''
They're also not where they want to be, at least not yet. A National League Central title would avoid the fickleness of a one-game scenario. Pittsburgh believes it's built to withstand the rigors of October.
Here are the keys to getting there:
---
THE OTHER FRANCISCO
The Pirates' budget might be growing, but they still couldn't afford to keep catcher Russell Martin, who parlayed his tremendous 2014 into a $82 million deal with Toronto. Pittsburgh prepared for Martin's departure by trading for longtime Yankees' backup catcher Francisco Cervelli. When healthy Cervelli is an adequate defensive replacement with a decent if not powerful bat. If he can handle the pitching staff and control the basepaths, any offense he provides would be a plus.
---
SPEED TO BURN
Perennial MVP candidate McCutchen anchors one of baseball's most athletic outfields. Starling Marte surged toward the end of a bumpy 2014 and Gregory Polanco is a raw but talented work in progress. Pittsburgh felt confident enough in Polanco's progress to trade Travis Snider to Baltimore.
---
PEDRO'S PROGRESS
Pedro Alvarez moves across the infield to first base in hopes of salvaging his career after developing a serious case of the yips at third. If his can reclaim the groove that helped him mash 36 homers in 2013, the Pirates can live with whatever growing pains may come with the switch.
---
KANG SHOW
Kang (pronounced ''Gahng'') doesn't lack for confidence. He told reporters in Korea he believes he can supplant Mercer at shortstop. It may take longer than he thought after a sluggish spring training.
---
THE VANIMAL
Vance Worley, like Liriano, Burnett and the since departed Edinson Volquez, thrived under pitching coach Ray Searage's mentoring last spring. He was arguably Pittsburgh's best starter down the stretch and a strong spring gives him a leg up in the battle Jeff Locke for the fifth starter spot.
PREVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER NL PREVIEW (CINCINNATI-PITTSBURGH) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Reds-Pirates Preview* ======================

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Cincinnati (63-96) at Pittsburgh (96-63), 7:05 p.m. EDT

A.J. Burnett returned to the Pittsburgh Pirates looking to cap his 17-year career by winning a World Series. He first gets a chance to assure his team of home-field advantage in next week's NL wild-card game.

Burnett takes the mound for the final time in the regular season Saturday night against the Cincinnati Reds, losers of 13 straight.

Burnett (9-6, 3.15 ERA) spent two seasons in Pittsburgh before making a free-agent move to Philadelphia last year, going 8-18 with a 4.59 ERA.

The 38-year-old right-hander declined a $12.75 million option to stay with the Phillies and instead returned to the Pirates for $8.5, saying that's where he belonged and that he wanted to "win a ring."

He has a chance at it with Pittsburgh (97-63) already headed to the postseason, and he can make sure the Pirates host a third straight wild-card game Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs. Pittsburgh needs a win or a Cubs loss at Milwaukee.

Starling Marte put the Pirates on the brink of that achievement with a walkoff homer in the 12th inning of a 6-4 win over Cincinnati on Friday. It was their 11th walkoff of the season, second in the league behind Chicago's 13.

"It's exciting, especially in this game where we're trying to play at home," Marte said after the Pirates rallied from a 4-0 deficit. "We play good baseball at home. We want to make our fans happy. We want to play here."

Burnett surely shares that sentiment, especially against the Reds (63-97). He's 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA in six starts in this matchup at PNC Park. He last faced them at Cincinnati on July 30, surrendering eight runs in 4 1-3 innings of a 15-5 loss before he spent nearly six weeks on the disabled list with inflammation in his right elbow.

Burnett is 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA in four starts since returning, allowing two runs in six innings of a 4-0 road loss to the Cubs on Sunday.

The Reds hope to taste victory again before this season ends, having lost 13 straight since their last win Sept. 19. The 13-game skid is Cincinnati's longest since 1945 and it hasn't had a longer slide in a single season since dropping 14 in a row to end 1937.

"I'm kind of at a loss for words right now," manager Bryan Price said.

Joey Votto continues to be a bright spot, reaching base safely in 48 consecutive games to tie the franchise record set by Pete Rose in 1978. He's hitting .357 with 55 walks over that stretch.

Votto, 10 for 31 with a homer off Burnett, has also reached base 316 times this season, equaling the club record he set in 2013.

The Reds hand the ball to Brandon Finnegan (1-2, 5.09), who is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in three starts - all on the road - since being recalled from Triple-A Louisville last month.

The 22-year-old left-hander, acquired from Kansas City in the Johnny Cueto trade in July, gave up three runs and eight hits in five innings of a 5-1 loss at Washington on Monday.


Last Updated: 3/28/2024 7:33:09 PM EST.


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