The Reds hit the road after taking a series from the Colorado Rockies, and now the trip rolls into Seattle for a 9:40 p.m. ET start against the Mariners. For fans in the Reds television market, the game may be available on the local Gray Media station - Fox 19 in greater Cincinnati - and it will also air on Reds.tv.
Tonight’s matchup puts Andrew Abbott opposite George Kirby, and both starters bring very different recent paths into the game.
Abbott has spent much of the season digging out from a rough opening stretch. After six starts, his ERA sat at 6.59.
Since late April, he has pulled that number down to 4.11, though his last outing before the All-Star break was his roughest since April. In that start against the Cubs, he gave up four earned runs in 4.0 innings and took the loss.
The left-hander’s season splits tell the story of two different phases. Left-handed hitters were all over him early, batting .481 with a .704 slugging percentage through his first six starts.
Since the start of May, though, they’ve done almost nothing against him. Right-handed hitters have also fared much worse against Abbott over that same stretch than they did early in the year.
Here’s how Abbott’s season has looked by handedness:
RHH: .237 AVG, .329 OBP, .397 SLG
LHH: .284 AVG, .323 OBP, .440 SLG
His pitch mix has leaned heavily on the four-seam fastball, which he’s thrown 46% of the time, followed by the slider at 20%, the changeup at 18%, and the curve at 14%.
Kirby comes in with a different kind of profile. He opened the year well, posting a 2.84 ERA after nine starts, then hit a rougher patch from mid-May through mid-June.
Lately, though, he’s steadied himself. Over his last three games, he allowed five earned runs in 20.0 innings.
He hasn’t pitched since June 8, so he’s also had a long layoff before this start.
The split numbers against Kirby aren’t dramatic, but they do show different approaches from each side of the plate. Right-handed hitters are batting .301 against him, but they rarely walk and haven’t done much damage power-wise. Left-handed hitters are at .265 with a little more power and more walks, though still not a lot of either.
Kirby’s pitch usage is built around a deep mix, with the slider leading the way at 30%, followed by the four-seam fastball at 29% and the two-seam fastball at 21%.
The Reds’ lineup features Elly De La Cruz at shortstop, Sal Stewart at first base, JJ Bleday in left, Spencer Steer in right, Eugenio Suarez at designated hitter, Tyler Stephenson catching, Dane Myers in center, Edwin Arroyo at second, and Ke’Bryan Hayes at third. Seattle counters with J.P. Crawford at short, Julio Rodriguez in center, Dominic Canzone at DH, Randy Arozarena in left, Cal Raleigh behind the plate, Josh Naylor at first, Cole Young at second, Victor Robles in right, and Buddy Kennedy at third.
Cincinnati enters the night at 45-53, sitting 16.5 games back in the division and carrying a 1.1% playoff odds mark from Fangraphs. Milwaukee leads the division at 62-37, with Chicago at 56-43, St. Louis at 51-47, and Pittsburgh at 52-48.
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