Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates – May 19, 2025

After an impressive showing over the weekend, the Cincinnati Reds (24-24) head to Pittsburgh for a quick three game road trip against the Pirates (15-32). First pitch from PNC Park is at 6:40 PM EDT.

While the Reds righted the ship against their in-state rivals this weekend, the Pirates did not have the same success against their own in-state rivals. The Pirates were swept by the Phillies in Philadelphia, including losing 1-0 on Sunday with Paul Skenes on the mound.

Lineups

Starting Pitchers

Nick Lodolo

Nick Lodolo had been having a very good start to the season up until the May 4th game against the Nationals. That day, he allowed six earned runs over 5.1 innings. He’s been better than that since, keeping the Reds within striking distance in each of his last two starts, but hasn’t been the same dominant pitcher we saw in April. Lodolo pitched to a quality start in Atlanta, giving up only two runs on five hits and allowed three runs on seven hits against the White Sox, but only went 5.1 innings in each start.

Lodolo’s has some negative splits going on thus far this season. He’s only faced left-handed batters 42 times, but of those 42 times, they have hit him hard, with a .378 batting average and a .405 on base percentage against him. Lodolo has also not pitched well against the Pirates in his career. In 23.0 innings, he’s allowed 11 runs on 19 hits.

Splits

Pitch Usage

Mitch Keller

Right-hander Mitch Keller has some pretty wild splits himself. First, left-handed batters are hitting him so much better than right-handed hitters. They have a .314 batting average against him, and an almost .400 on base percentage against him. Not only that, but Keller also pitches much better away from PNC Park. He’s got a 5.33 ERA at home, compared to just a 2.88 ERA on the road. He’s allowed double the runs at home versus on the road. Those stats may be skewed slightly by two games, however. In his two worst starts of the season, Keller gave up seven runs in 3.2 innings to the Yankees and four earned runs in five innings to the Padres, both at home.

Keller has not yet faced the Reds this season, but in his career, he doesn’t fare well against them. He’s got a 6.06 ERA in 17 starts against Cincinnati. In 2024 alone, he faced them six times, pitching to a 6.19 ERA in 16 innings. He walked 10 Reds batters in that span and struck out 14.

Splits

Pitch Usage

Game Details:

• When: 6:40 PM EDT
• Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
• TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio (Cincinnati area); Fox Sports 1 (national broadcast)
• Radio: 700 WLW
• Weather: 66 degrees, mostly sunny, 0% chance of rain

News and Notes

Will Benson named National League Player of the Week

After hitting .526, five home runs, and driving in 10 it was an easy choice for voters to give Will Benson the National League’s Player of the Week award. We’ve got more details on it here if you’re interested in some light, but fun reading.

Injury Updates

Francona said that Hunter Greene is scheduled to return on Friday. He also hopes to have Fraley back early next week.

— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) May 19, 2025

Reds Minor League Notes

Sal Stewart’s power is down, but he’s still hitting consistently.

Division Standings