Will George Kirby Bounce Back After Being Pummeled His Last Start?

Here are your MLB Daily Rankings for Sunday August 18, 2024.

1. San Diego Padres
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Houston Astros
5. New York Yankees
6. Baltimore Orioles
7. Milwaukee Brewers
8. Los Angeles Dodgers
9. Cleveland Guardians
10. Kansas City Royals
11. Philadelphia Phillies
12. Seattle Mariners
13. Chicago Cubs
14. San Francisco Giants
15. Cincinnati Reds

George Kirby (8-9, 3.42 ERA) will start for Seattle against a team that, despite winning Friday and Saturday, had lost ten straight games. That would be Pittsburgh.  The Pirates starter is Jake Woodford is 0-4 with a 5.87 ERA.

Kirby was pummeled for 11 runs (six earned) on 13 hits over 3 2/3 innings Tuesday in a loss to the Tigers. 

Will The Pirates sweep Seattle in their series Sunday?  It's hard to see with the starting pitcher lopsided matchup.

Because this one is in Pittsburgh, the price is decent enough at -160.

Reds Look for Rebound

The Cincinnati Reds have played well of late but you'd never know it on Saturday.  They got absolutely destroyed early in their game against Kansas City.  Talk to most bettors and fans, they still don't trust the up and down Reds and Saturday proved why these fears are real.

Dairon Blanco homered twice — including his first career grand slam — and drove in seven runs as the Kansas City Royals routed the Cincinnati Reds 13-1 on Saturday night.

The offensive fireworks by the Royals overshadowed a fine start by Michael Wacha (10-6), who allowed just four hits and struck out nine through six shutout innings as Kansas City beat the Reds for the second straight night.

Blanco, who wielded a bat painted to look like a yellow crayon, hit a two-run homer deep to center field on the first pitch he saw from Reds starter Nick Lodolo in the second inning.