Pittsburgh Pirates Swept in Double Header Against Reds

On Monday, the Pittsburgh Pirates played a double header at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati against their divisional rival Reds.

Monday evening into the night, the Pittsburgh Pirates played a double header against the Reds at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. Cody Ponce started the first game of the day for the Pirates, while Mitch Keller returned from the injured list to take the ball in game two.

After being wlaked off by a score of 3-1 in the first game of the day, the Pittsburgh Pirates dropped the second game of the DH agaisnt the Reds by a score of 9-4. With the two losses, the Pirates are now 14-32 on the season.

Another Strong Start For Cody Ponce

Right-handed pitcher Cody Ponce has become a regular for the Pittsburgh Pirates in double headers this year. Making his third start in a double header this season, Ponce allowed just 1 run in 4 innings pitched.

Ponce allowed just that single run on a solo home run. This was the lone hit he allowed, to go with a pair of walks and three strikeouts. The young righty now owns a 3.18 ERA this season.

To be honest, it was a surprise that Ponce did nto go deeper in the game. He threw just 63 pitches and appeared to have more in the tank. This combined with the team playing two games on Monday, and it was surprising that Ponce did not pitch at least the 5th inning.

Without a doubt, Ponce has put himself on the radar of Pirate management with the way he has pitched this season. Even if he does not pitch again in the final two weeks of the season, and odds are he will, he has firmly solidified himself as a back end of the rotation/bullpen candidate for 2021.

Mitch Keller Returns From The IL

Returning from the injured list, Mitch Keller made his third start of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of the day.

The pre-IL struggles would continue for Keller on Monday night. In just 3 innings of work, Keller allowed 3 runs on two hits, both of which were home runs. He also walked a career-high four batters, to go with four strikeouts.

In the start Keller’s velocity was up. After averaging just 92.6 MPH on his fastball his first two starts, he routinely sat in the 94-96 MPH range Monday night. That said, he still did not generate the amount of swings and misses you would like to see.

Keller now owns a 5.06 ERA, and will look to finish the season strong in however many starts he has remaining.

Breakout Season Continues For Moran

If you had Colin Moran breaking out and turning into a legitimate middle of the line up bat as one of your predictions for the 2020 Pittsburgh Pirates raise your hand. Okay, now put your hand down because no one predicted the season Moran has had.

Actually, the Pirate coaching staff did sort of predict this. During both spring training and summer camp they pointed at Moran as a hitter who may have a bigger season than people expected. He most certainly has done that.

On Monday, Moran went 2-for-6 with a home run, a double and a walk. He now owns a .262/.357/.508 slash line on the season. To go with a career high on OBP and slugging percentage, Moran also owns a career-best 128 wRC+ this season.

A Rough Night For Geoff Hartlieb

Geoff Hartlieb has broken out for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020. Mondya night, he had his first true disaster outing of the inning.

Hartlieb faced six batters and did not retire any of them. He walked four, hit a batter, a batter reached on an error, and he did not allow a hit. Austin Davis helped to clean thimngs up, as Hartlieb was charged with 3 runs, 2 earned, on Mondya night. His ERA on the season is still a strong 2.79.

What’s Next

The third game of this four-game series is scheduled for 6:40 on Tuesday night. Joe Musgrove (5.40 ERA, 4.66 DRA) will make the start for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds will send righty Michael Lorenzen (5.23 ERA, 4.95 DRA) to make his first start since 2018.