Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 20, 2013 ) Pittsburgh 4, Cincinnati 5

The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to another slow second-half start and the Cincinnati Reds are happy to take advantage. The Reds will vie for a three-game sweep Sunday when they host the Pirates, who lost nine of their last 14 games since posting a 51-30 mark in the first half. Pittsburgh, which has registered a losing record for 20 straight seasons, slumped to a combined 34 games below .500 in the second half over the past two seasons after finishing 10 contests above during the first halves.

Cincinnati hung on for a 5-4 victory Saturday to pull within four games of first-place St. Louis in the National League Central and two behind the second-place Pirates. Pittsburgh's Jeff Locke, who missed his final start prior to the All-Star break because of lower back tightness, has a 1.38 ERA in 16 2/3 career innings against Cincinnati. He will oppose Homer Bailey, who is 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA in two starts since throwing his second career no-hitter, but has dominated the Pirates.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Pittsburgh), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH Jeff Locke (8-2, 2.15 ERA) vs. Reds RH Homer Bailey (5-8, 3.82)

Locke allowed two runs, three hits and walked three in seven innings in a 2-1 setback to Oakland on July 8, losing for the first time since his season debut April 7. The 25-year-old did not make his scheduled start July 14 against the New York Mets and was not available to pitch in the All-Star Game. Locke, who has allowed three or fewer earned runs in his last 15 starts, yielded one run, eight hits and seven walks in 12 innings (two starts) against Cincinnati in 2013.

Bailey's no-hitter against San Francisco on July 2 is a distant memory after yielding 10 hits in each of his last two starts - both losses. The 27-year-old has lost four of his last five decisions and has allowed four runs in three of his last four starts. Bailey, however, is 8-2 with a 2.54 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 13 starts against Pittsburgh. Andrew McCutchen is 11-for-31 with eight walks against Bailey, but he hasn't recorded a home run or an RBI.

WALK-OFFS

1. Eight of Pittsburgh's last nine games have been decided by one or two runs. The Pirates, who are 2-6 in that stretch, fell to 34-23 in such contests this season.

2. Pittsburgh's Pedro Alvarez (54) and Cincinnati's Jay Bruce (53) are first and second in home runs among National League players since the start of 2012.

3. Pittsburgh LF Starling Marte and Cincinnati 3B Jack Hannahan were hit by pitches Saturday, bringing the total hit batsmen to 21 in 12 meetings this season - the most in a major-league series.

PREDICTION: Pirates 3, Reds 2