P2Live: Pirates Go For a Four Game Sweep Against the Reds

The Pittsburgh Pirates will go for a four-game sweep against the Cincinnati Reds today. My hope in this game is that they get out to an early lead, to allow recently promoted Drew Maggi to get a chance to get in the action for his MLB debut.

Maggi was promoted earlier today as a temporary replacement for Bryan Reynolds, who is on the Bereavement List. Maggi was drafted by the Pirates in 2010, and has spent parts of 13 seasons with a few different organizations around the game. After 1154 games in the minors, this could be his first chance to appear in an MLB game. 

Never give up on your dream.

Maggi isn’t in the lineup today. The Pirates are off tomorrow, so this might be his only opportunity. Let’s hope we see another early offensive explosion, allowing the Pirates the chance to give Maggi a few innings at the end of the game.

PIRATES VS REDS

Game Time: 1:35 PM EST
Pirates Starter: Vince Velasquez (2-2, 5.12)
Reds Starter: Hunter Greene (0-0, 4.24)
Pirates Lineups:

Some Sunday baseball.

Reds Lineups:

Series finale with Hunter Greene on the mound.

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— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 23, 2023

INDIANAPOLIS AT MEMPHIS

Game Time: 3:05 PM EST
Projected Starter: TBA

Osvaldo Bido had a rough outing last night, after opening the season with a few strong starts. Bido gave up four runs on four hits in four innings. Most of his damage came in the last inning. His long-term upside is a reliever in the majors, with a chance to be an emergency starter if he’s pitching well when the Pirates need a guy.

ALTOONA VS BOWIE

Game Time: 1:00 PM EST
Projected Starter: Kyle Nicolas, RHP (1-1, 5.79)

There were a few transactions in Altoona this morning. The big one was Maggi going up to Pittsburgh. Jared Jones also hit the injured list. Altoona has Kyle Nicolas on the mound today, coming off a good outing his last time out. He allowed one run in six innings, with only two walks allowed. He gave up eight runs in eight innings with six walks in his first two outings. Nicolas is a sleeper pick of mine to follow, due to his ability to put up the latter type of outing.

GREENSBORO VS GREENVILLE

Game Time: 2:00 PM EST
Projected Starter: Po-Yu Chen, RHP (0-1, 7.27)

Chen is a similar situation to Nicolas above. In his first outing, he allowed six runs in 3.2 innings. Last time out, he gave up one run in five innings. The encouraging thing is that he had the bad outing on the road, and the good outing at home.

BRADENTON VS DAYTONA

Game Time: 12:00 PM EST
Projected Starter: J.P. Massey, RHP (0-1, 6.75)

Bradenton has J.P. Massey on the mound today. As I type this, he’s pitching in Bradenton’s early game, with three no-hit innings, one walk, and five strikeouts. Massey was featured as a sleeper prospect to follow at the start of the season.