Reds vs. Pirates- Who You Takin?

The Pittsburgh Pirates have become the greatest storyline in baseball this season.  After 21 LONG seasons of not only missing the playoffs, but also having losing record they have finally righted the ship.  Tonight they play October baseball for the first time since 1992.  However, the Cincinnati Reds will try and hope that this is where their story ends.  These two teams ended the season playing each other with the Pirates sweeping the Reds to secure home field advantage for this game.

This is October baseball; what happened last weekend no longer matters.  The stakes are higher and the Reds are ready to take on the Pirates.  The Reds put Johnny Cueto on the mound who finished the season strong after missing time earlier with a back injury.  Cueto is 13-4 against the Pirates, 8-2 in Pittsburgh’s PNC Park.  Second baseman Brandon Phillips will more than likely rejoin the lineup after missing a couple of days after fouling a ball off his leg that left a baseball sized contusion.

The Pirates are ready for Cueto.  Throughout the season, they acquired different players for this very moment.  They acquired Justin Morneau from the Twins and Marlon Byrd and John Buck from the Mets.  They have a deep bench with a lot of big bats available.  The Pirates send Francisco Liriano to the mound who has rejuvenated his career in Pittsburgh.

These two teams know each other very well.  They are both in the NL Central and battled most of the season with the St. Louis Cardinals for the division title.  While the Reds are a very talented team, I have to root for the Pirates in this game.  Their story is so compelling and their fans deserve to see their team prosper; especially one as talented as this one.  Andrew McCutchen has been an MVP-worthy player for years now and has never looked defeated or turned his back on Pittsburgh.  One thing is for sure, these two teams will give all their effort tonight.  Pirates vs. Reds- who you takin?