Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( May 24, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 5, Cincinnati 7
The surging Cincinnati Reds are back in first place. Staying there is now the priority.
The Reds will be looking to do just that when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates again on Tuesday.
Cincinnati has posted a 12-4 mark over its last 16 games to move into a tie with the St. Louis Cardinals at the top of the NL Central. The beginning of that run included a three-game sweep of the Pirates from May 10-12, and it looks as if the Reds are picking up right where they left off.
Drew Stubbs homered among three hits and Orlando Cabrera chipped in three hits on Monday as Cincinnati took the opener of the four-game series, 7-5. Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto each added an RBI to guide Aaron Harang to a win.
Votto has been the hottest hitter on the team, driving in nine runs in the last seven games while crossing the plate himself seven times.
Francisco Cordero picked up the save on Monday - his 15th of the season. The veteran right-hander has been up and down in 2010 - with three blown saves and a 3.91 ERA - and his success could be the key to holding together a rotation with three starters under the age of 25.
Pittsburgh doesn't spend much time worrying about its closer because it rarely gets to the ninth inning with a lead. The Pirates have dropped four of five and 10 of their last 15 and appear poised to finish at the bottom of the league once again.
On the bright side for Pittsburgh fans, the long-promised youth movement looks like it has its first star in center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who leads the team with five homers, a .320 batting average and 12 stolen bases.
Rookie Mike Leake will be looking to keep his perfect record intact when he takes the mound for the Reds on Tuesday. The Arizona State product has made the Cincinnati brass look pretty smart for slotting him in the Opening Day rotation despite having never made a minor league appearance.
Leake leads all Reds starters with a 2.91 ERA and a .218 batting average against and appears to be getting stronger, allowing five hits or less in each of his past five outings. The 22-year-old has also solved the command problems that led to 12 walks in his first two starts, issuing just nine free passes over the last six outings.
He walked just one batter at the Atlanta Braves last Thursday while yielding five hits and one earned run in six innings.
Leake faced the Pirates back on April 16, surrendering three runs and seven hits in seven innings while walking five and striking out three. He did not factor in the decision as Pittsburgh went on to win, 4-3.
The Pirates will counter with veteran left-hander Paul Maholm. The 27-year-old is coming off a loss last Thursday in which he allowed four runs on four hits and three walks in seven innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Tuesday will mark the eighth straight time that Maholm has faced a division opponent, a stretch which has seen him post a record of 4-3 with a 4.19 ERA. Maholm began his NL Central run with an outing against the Reds on April 18, when he allowed two runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings to earn a win.
For his career, Maholm is 5-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 16 starts against Cincinnati.