The Cincinnati Reds will try to salvage the finale of a three-game home series against the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates and keep pace in the National League wild-card race in a Thursday matinee.
The contest will serve as the final home finale for the Reds (80-78) before they close the season with three games in Milwaukee with the National League Central-champion Brewers.
The Pirates (69-89) played the role of spoiler over the past two games, beating Cincinnati 4-2 on Tuesday and 4-3 in 11 innings on Wednesday.
The Reds, who have not been swept in a series at home all season, will send left-hander Nick Lodolo (8-8, 3.44 ERA) to the mound on Thursday. The Pirates will counter with rookie right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (4-3, 2.62).
Cincinnati opened the series tied with the New York Mets for the third and final National League wild card and in position to claim that spot by virtue of holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Reds trailed New York by a game entering action Wednesday and had a chance to draw even as the Chicago Cubs routed the Mets 10-3.
However, the Reds stranded 13 baserunners and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the extra-inning defeat. Noelvi Marte grounded into a forceout with the bases loaded to end the game, keeping Cincinnati a game back of New York.
“It hurts, but we better get over it in a hurry,” Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said of losing a game just over 13 hours before taking the field again for the finale. “When you’re that close, it’s raw. It just happened. But we need to bounce back in a hurry.”
Tyler Stephenson was one of the offensive bright spots for the Reds on Wednesday, going 4-for-5 with a double and a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth that tied the game 2-2.
“That one stung,” Stephenson said after the first four-hit game of his career. “It was a heartbreaker. Where we’re at, we’ve got to flush and be ready to come out and play (Thursday). It’s really all we can control.”
Gavin Lux tied the game in the 10th inning with a sacrifice fly, but the Reds couldn’t score the game-winner from second.
“We had some chances to score,” Lux said. “They made some nice plays on a couple of different balls. I thought we had a chance to get an extra hit there.”
The Pirates won a game on a night their ace and National League Cy Young Award favorite Paul Skenes received a no-decision after tossing six shutout innings in his final outing of the year. The right-hander lowered his ERA to a major-league-best 1.97 in 32 starts.
“What a game,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Starting with Paul and the way that he went out. What a start today and what a season he’s had. He just did what Paul does.”
Skenes’ ERA will be the lowest by a Pirates starter (minimum of 140 innings) since 1916.
“The atmosphere was just electric,” Skenes said. “I wasn’t out there most of the game after I came in, but just watching, it was unbelievable. Hopefully we have that in Pittsburgh next year.”
Lodolo enters play Thursday on a six-start winless streak. Since his last victory on July 23, he is 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA. In his most recent outing, he gave up four runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Cubs on Friday.
Lodolo fired six innings of one-run ball for a win at Pittsburgh on May 19. In five career starts vs. the Pirates, he is 3-2 with a 3.72 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 29 innings.
Ashcraft has faced the Reds once in his rookie season, a no-decision on Aug. 9 in which he pitched 3 1/3 innings and permitted one run. Two of his three most recent appearances came in relief. As a starter, he is 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA in seven outings.