CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:
RED HOTS
• The Reds today returned from a rehabilitation assignment and reinstated from the 15-day injured list RHP Luke Weaver…has been on the injured list since Opening Day with right forearm tightness…on 4/9 and 4/14 he made 2 rehabilitation apps with Louisville (0-0, 3.00, 9ip, 3h, 3er, 4bb, 9k, 1hr, 0.78whip, .107baa).
• To make room on the roster for Weaver the Reds optioned to Louisville RHP Luke Weaver, who in his Major League debut started yesterday’s 0-8
loss vs TB (4ip, 7er, 1b, 3k, 1hr).
• On Tuesday the Reds and RHP Hunter Greene agreed to a $53 million, 6-year contract extension through the 2028 season that included a $21 million option and $2 million buyout for 2029.
TONIGHT’S GAME
• Is Game 1 of a 4-game road trip, all to Pit’s PNC Park.
• The Reds are coming off a 3-4 homestand vs the defending National League champion Phillies (2-2) and Rays (1-2).
• Following this series the Reds return to Great American Ball Park for a quick 3-game homestand vs the Rangers before heading out to face the
Athletics (3g) and Padres (3g) in the first of their 3 trips to the West Coast.
SERIES NOTES
• This weekend Reds will face the Pirates in a 4-game series at PNC Park.
• The Reds earned a 2-1 series win vs Pit in the series that opened this 2023 championship season.
• The Reds went 14-29 at Pit’s PNC Park the previous 5 seasons, including an 11-game losing streak spanning 2018-2019 and an 8-game losing streak there to begin the 2019 season.
• Beginning in 2021 at Great American Ball Park, the Reds are 14-8 vs Pit with a 134-78 advantage in runs scored…the Reds have won 22 of the
last 41 games overall vs the Pirates, including 19 of the last 28 gameS vs Pit at GABP.
RANGERS UP NEXT
• The Redlegs are 9-10 all-time vs the Rangers, including 6-5 at Great American Ball Park.
• Beginning Monday the Reds and Rangers will meet for the eighth time overall and for the first time since 2019, also at GABP.
• The Reds haven’t played in Arlington since 2016.
• The Reds are coming off their only interleague series of the season, a 1-2 series loss vs the Rays at Great American Ball Park.
• From 1997-2022 the Redlegs went 188-247 vs the American League, at .432 the lowest interleague winning percentage of any Major League
team…in 2022 the Reds went 12-8 vs AL teams (0-2 vs Cle, 2-0 at Cle 1-2 at Tor, 1-1 at Bos, 3-0 vs TB, 2-1 at NYY, 2-1 vs Bal, 1-1 vs Bos)…last season’s was their first winning record vs the American League since 2013 (11-9)…in the 8 seasons between the 2013 & 2022 season series wins, the Reds went 61-99 vs AL teams (.381).
LEADING OFF
• In the first inning, Reds batters rank fourth in the Major Leagues in batting average (.324, Atl .386, Rays .345, Cardinals .338), second in on-base percentage (.410, NYY .416), sixth in slugging percentage (.515) and T11th in runs scored (12).
• When leading off the Reds’ half of the first inning, Jonathan India is hitting .429 (.556obp, .786slg, 6-14, 3bb, 2 2b, 1hr, 6r).
• India’s 16 runs scored are tied for sixth-most in the Major Leagues.
• India’s 6 runs scored in the first inning are tied for second-most in the Major Leagues (NYY’s Aaron Judge, 8r).
Tonight’s Starter – #34 Luke Weaver, RHP
• On 1/13/23 was signed to a 1-year contract through the 2023 season.
• Prior to the game is expected to come off the 15-day injured list to make his 2023 season and Reds debuts…will be his 10th career appearance and seventh start vs the Pirates, his fifth appearance and fourth start at PNC Park.
• On 3/8, left his third spring training appearance with right forearm tightness…didn’t pitch in another “A” game for the Reds.
• On Opening Day went on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow flexor strain, snapping his 5-season streak on an active Opening Day roster (Cardinals 2018, Diamondbacks 2019-2022).
• On 4/9 and 4/14 made 2 rehabilitation apps with Louisville (0-0, 3.00, 9ip, 3h, 3er, 4bb, 9k, 1hr, 0.78whip, .107baa).
• In 2022, his first season pitching primarily out of the bullpen, for the Diamondbacks and Royals went 1-1, 6.56 in 1 start and 25 relief apps.
• On 8/1 was traded from Ari to KC for IF Emmanuel Rivera.
• Was 1 of 17 players acquired in 2022 by the Royals in their 11 trades…9 of those players appeared in a game for KC last season.
• Following his first appearance of the 2022 season, on 4/7 vs SD, went on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation…didn’t pitch again until 6/12 at Phi.
• Made his only start of last season in his third appearance, an 11-1 Diamondbacks loss on 6/18 vs Min (3.2ip, 10h, 9er, 1bb, 5k, Gary Sánchez 2-run HR)… finished the season with 23 consecutive relief apps (4.76era, 28.1ip).
• Finished the season with a career-high 29.0-inning homerless streak covering 24 apps…didn’t allow a home run after Gary Sánchez’ third-inning HR in Weaver’s only start of the season (6/18 vs Min).
• On 10/26/22 was claimed off waivers by the Mariners…on 11/18 elected free agency…2 months later signed with the Reds.
• Was selected by the Blue Jays out of DeLand (FL) High School in the 19th round of the June 2011 first-year player draft and by the Cardinals out of Florida State University in the first round (27th overall) of the 2014 draft.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:
THE PIRATES:..Have won three straight and four of their last five games…Won a season-high four straight games from 4/3-7…Have not lost back-to-back games since dropping the final two contests of their season-opening series in Cincinnati.
THE RESILIENT PIRATES: Pittsburgh beat the Reds 5-4 on Opening Day before losing each of its final two games of its season-opening series in Cincinnati (it’s the only time this season the Bucs have lost two games in a row)…Since then beginning with the action on April 3, the Pirates have produced the fifth-best record (11-5) in all of Major League Baseball behind the Rays (13-3), Braves (12-4), Brewers (12-4) and Cubs (10-4).
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: The Pirates scored 33 runs during their three-game sweep in their series against the Rockies… That’s the most runs scored for Pittsburgh in a three-game series since plating 34 against the Padres from July 28-30, 2000…Prior to the sweep of the Rockies, the last time Pittsburgh scored 33-plus runs on the road in a three-game series came against the Cubs from September 15-16, 1975 (36 runs).
TAKING A STAND: The Pirates bring a 12-7 record into the opener of this four-game series against the Reds…The Pirates also got off to a 12-7 start during the 2019 campaign…A win tonight would give the Pirates their best start since going 13-7 to begin the 2002 season.
EXTRA EXTRA: Pittsburgh recorded eight extra base hits on Wednesday for the second time this season (also April 7 against the White Sox)…The Pirates enter today tied with Philadelphia for second in all of Major League Baseball with 69 extra base hits…Tampa Bay is pacing MLB with 81 extra base hits this season.
GETTING STRETCHED OUT: Pittsburgh’s starters have worked at least 6.0 innings in each of the last nine games…That’s the longest stretch since going 10 straight games tossing at least 6.0 innings from August 3-12, 2017…During this current nine-game run of tossing at least 6.0 innings, Pittsburgh’s starting rotation is tied with the Cubs for the lowest ERA (2.45) in all of Major League Baseball.
ABOUT TONIGHT’S STARTER: Roansy Contreras gets the start tonight in the opener of this four-game series against the Reds…Contreras allowed two runs in 6.0 innings but had a no-decision in his last start in Pittsburgh’s 6-3 10-inning win saturday at St. Louis…Contreras allowed four earned runs in 14.0 innings in three starts last year against the Reds.
CUTCH CLUTCH: Andrew McCutchen has gone deep in two straight and three times in his last four games…Since April 5, McCutchen ranks 10th among all National League players with a 1.048 OPS…Connor Joe ranks eighth in the NL in that time with a 1.063 OPS, while Rodolfo Castro is ninth with a 1.058 OPS…McCutchen also brings a 13-game on-base streak into today…During his current streak, McCutchen is hitting .327 with three doubles, four homers, eight RBI, .397 OBP, .633 slugging percentage and 1.030 OPS.
RODOLFO RAKING: Rodolfo Castro recorded the second four-RBI game of his career yesterday that was highlighted by his longest career home run at 458 feet…Castro has now hit safely in eight of his last nine games, going 12-for-30 (.400) with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and a 1.167 OPS…Since April 10, Castro ranks seventh in the National League in OPS, eighth in slugging (.667), fifth in OBP (.500) and tied for fourth in batting average.
LET’S HEAR IT FOR HAYES: Ke’Bryan Hayes enters today with a six-game hitting streak…Since the streak began on April 13, Hayes is hitting .360 (9-for-25) with two doubles, one triple, one home run, four RBI, .452 OBP, .640 slugging percentage and 1.092 OPS.
JACK IN THE BOX: Jack Suwinski is hitting .381 (8-for-21) with a double, four home runs and seven RBI in his last seven games after going 1-for-15 in his first five games…Suwinski is pacing MLB with a 1.440 OPS and 1.000 slugging percentage since April 11.
DEEP THOUGHTS: The Pirates enter today sixth in all of Major League Baseball with 25 home runs…The only five teams in MLB with more are the Rays (42), Dodgers (33), Giants (28), and Braves and Yankees with 27 apiece…Pittsburgh has multiple home runs in each of the last three games and have gone 9-0 this season when going deep more than once in a game.
CARLOS SANTANA’S HITS: Carlos Santana has knocked in a run in each of his last three games while also hitting safely in six of his last seven contests…Beginning with the action on April 5, Santana is hitting .320 (16-for-50) with six doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI in 13 games.
TODAY’S STARTER – 59 – RHP ROANSY CONTRERAS
ROANSY CONTRERAS: The 23-year-old righthander is making his fourth start of the season tonight…Had a no-decision (6.0ip/2er) in his last start Saturday at St. Louis.
vs. CINCINNATI: 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA (14.0ip/4er) in three career starts (all in 2022)…Won a 4-2 decision over Mike Minor in game one of a doubleheader on 7/7 at Great American Ball Park, had a no-decision (4.0ip/1r) in a 10-4 win at Great American on 9/14 and had a no-decision (4.0ip/2r) in an 8-3 win on 9/26 at PNC Park.
