Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 31, 2015 ) Pittsburgh 5, Cincinnati 4

Gerrit Cole attempts to earn his major league-leading 15th victory and notch his first win at Great American Ball Park when the Pittsburgh Pirates visit the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night in the third contest of a four-game series. Cole has never beaten the Reds in five career starts and is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three outings in Cincinnati.

Left fielder Starling Marte preserved Friday's 5-4 victory for Pittsburgh, throwing out the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning before making a diving catch for the final out. Rookie Jung-Ho Kang helped the Pirates bounce back from a 15-5 drubbing in the series opener, banging out three doubles to give him multiple hits in nine of his last 12 games. Reds right fielder Marlon Byrd is 5-for-10 with two homers, four RBIs and three runs scored in the first two games of the series. Cincinnati traded its second starting pitcher this week when it shipped Mike Leake to San Francisco.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (14-4, 2.24 ERA) vs. Reds RH Raisel Iglesias (1-3, 5.53 ERA)

Cole turned in an outstanding effort to beat Washington last time out, allowing only a solo home run among seven hits over 7 2/3 innings. The former No. 1 overall draft pick pitched at least seven innings in all four of his starts in July, going 3-1 and permitting a combined eight earned runs. Cole is 0-2 in three starts against the Reds this season - the only three outings in which he has failed to pitch beyond five innings.

Iglesias is winless since beating Atlanta in his second career start on May 13 and one reason is his inability to stay away from the big inning. He was victimized by a fourth-inning grand slam in a 6-4 loss at St. Louis on Monday - the fourth consecutive start in which he has surrendered a home run. The 25-year-old Cuban also has been unable to solve left-handed hitters, who are batting a collective .352 against him.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pittsburgh acquired LHP J.A. Happ from Seattle and 1B Michael Morse from the Dodgers at Friday's trade deadline.

2. Reds 2B Brandon Phillips had two more hits Friday to follow up his two-homer, four-hit, seven-RBI game in the series opener.

3. The Pirates placed RHP A.J. Burnett on the 15-day disabled list Friday due to right elbow inflammation.

PREDICTION: Pirates 5, Reds 3