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Reds vs. Pirates preview: Bucs begin final homestand of 2012

Without much left to play for, the Pittsburgh Pirates will square off against the Cincinnati Reds in the first part of a six-game homestand. A.J. Burnett starts for Pittsburgh.

Bob Levey - Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates kick off their final homestand of the 2012 season with a series against the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds.

There isn't a whole lot at stake for either team here: Pittsburgh has played itself out of a potential Wild Card bid with poor play in September, while Cincinnati is 10 games up in the Central Division race with only six games to play. However, the Reds are still fighting for the overall No. 1 seed with the Washington Nationals, which would allow them to face a less-rested team coming off of a one-game Wild Card playoff instead of the NL West champions, the San Francisco Giants.

A.J. Burnett takes the mound for Pittsburgh. Burnett hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last six starts, but anemic offense and poor defense leaves him 1-4 in those outings. He'll face Homer Bailey, who held the Pirates to one run in seven innings on Sept. 12.


Current Series

3 game series vs Reds @ PNC Park

Cincinnati Reds
@ Pittsburgh Pirates

Friday, Sep 28, 2012, 7:05 PM EDT
PNC Park

Homer Bailey vs A.J. Burnett

Clear. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 60.

Complete Coverage >

Sat 09/29 7:05 PM EDT
Sun 09/30 1:35 PM EDT


The game begins at 7:05 p.m. ET and will be available on ROOT Sports.

Photographs by dizfunk used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.