Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 1, 2013 ) Cincinnati 2, Pittsburgh 6

Two teams still looking to find their footing will collide Monday night when the Pittsburgh Pirates visit the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a three-game series. The Reds beat the Tampa Bay Rays 12-4 on Sunday afternoon to salvage a win from that three-game series and finally support their pitching staff, which had allowed just three runs in the previous three games but had just one win to show for it. The eight-run cushion was also a nice gift after the previous 11 games were decided by three runs or less.

The Pirates got run over by the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers in their weekend series and could only scrape together five runs while getting swept for the first time since losing three in a row in St. Louis last September. They’ve lost four of the last five overall and are already four games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. Pittsburgh cleanup hitter Pedro Alvarez, who hit .097 through the first nine games last season before finishing at .233, is off to another slow start, hitting .178 after going hitless in 10 at-bats during the Milwaukee series.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Pittsburgh), Fox Sports Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUPS: Pirates LH Wandy Rodriguez (0-2, 5.73 ERA) vs. Reds RH Homer Bailey (0-1, 7-71)

Rodriguez has made more starts against the Reds than any other team in his career and the results haven’t been very positive. He’s 8-12 in 30 career appearances — all starts — with a 4.26 ERA. He pitched well enough to win in his only appearance against the Reds in his injury-shortened 2013 season, allowing two runs and five hits in seven innings, but the offense couldn’t come up with any runs in the 6-0 loss.

Bailey secured a six-year, $105 million contract in February and set out to prove he’s more than just a .500 pitcher who occasionally brings no-hit quality stuff to the mound. He’s still looking to prove he was worth the investment after failing to get into the sixth inning in his first two starts this season. He’ll try to turn things around against a team that he has beat more than any other in the majors, owning an 8-5 lifetime record with a 2.91 ERA against the Pirates.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Reds have dropped two of three in all four of their series matchups this season.

2. Reds RHP Mat Latos has been shut down from throwing for 10 to 14 days because of soreness in his elbow.

3. The Pirates led the majors in fielding percentage after eight games but have committed multiple errors in three of the last four games.

PREDICTION: Reds 6, Brewers 3