Two pitchers who started losses in the last series between the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants get another chance for a win Tuesday night when the National League wild-card hopefuls continue their three-game series.

Kyle Harrison won a head-to-head with Andrew Abbott in a duel of highly regarded rookie left-handers in the series opener in San Francisco on Monday, with the Giants moving a game ahead of the Reds in the wild-card standings with a 4-1 home win. Both teams are chasing the third NL wild-card spot, with the Giants a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks entering play Tuesday.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler was still buzzing about his 22-year-old rookie pitcher’s home debut well after the final pitch had been thrown on an 11-strikeout effort.

The skipper left the ballpark hopeful of a carryover effect.

“That’s about as electric a performance as we’ve seen since I’ve been here in San Francisco,” Kapler said of Harrison’s outing. “To do it in front of his family and see the cheers up on the big screen (scoreboard), that was pretty rewarding for all of us.

“To see him walk off the field and get that ovation, that was a pretty big moment for everyone involved.”

The Reds will send another lefty to the mound in the rematch when Brandon Williamson (4-3, 4.18 ERA) opposes Giants righty Alex Cobb (6-5, 3.74).

The Giants got a hit or RBI from each of their first six batters in the lineup — all right-handers — against the lefty Abbott in Monday’s win.

Williamson can expect to see a similar lineup Tuesday, especially leadoff man Austin Slater and No. 3 hitter Wilmer Flores, who combined to give the hosts a 1-0 lead against Abbott 12 pitches into the game when Slater singled and Flores doubled.

Slater and Flores each had a solo home run off Williamson when they squared off on July 17. They were the only runs the 25-year-old allowed in six innings of what turned into a 4-2 defeat.

In his first career start against the Giants, the rookie limited the visitors to four hits.

The Reds have lost 4-2, 4-3 and 3-2 in Williamson’s past three starts, although he’s been charged with the loss just once. He allowed five runs in 17 1/3 innings in those games.

The Reds managed a 2-2 split against the Giants last month, winning the final two games, including the one started by Cobb.

The 35-year-old is winless (0-3) with a 5.48 ERA in his last eight starts. During that stretch, he took the loss in a 5-1 defeat in Cincinnati, roughed up for five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Cobb has made five career starts against the Reds, going 2-2 with a 2.83 ERA.

The veteran will see a Reds team that took the field Monday having gotten the news that standout rookie Matt McLain would be out indefinitely with a strained right oblique.

McLain had an MRI in San Francisco after disclosing to the team Sunday night that he’d been struggling through pain in his right side in recent outings.

There’s no timetable on his return, but time is running short on the season, with just 29 games remaining for the Reds.

“That’s the worst part — the position that we’re in,” McLain said of the must-win nature of a wild-card race. “I’m going to do everything I can to get back as soon as I can. It (stinks), for sure. But this team’s more than capable without me. We have everything we need to go win games.”

–Field Level Media

If there’s a pitching mantra the Seattle Mariners have developed throughout their organization, it’s this: Throw first-pitch strikes.

Nobody exemplifies that more than right-hander George Kirby (10-8, 3.28 ERA), who is scheduled to start Tuesday night when the Mariners host the Oakland Athletics.

Kirby is tied for second in the major leagues by getting the first pitch in the strike zone 69.3 percent of the time. Only Texas’ Max Scherzer (71.2 percent) is better.

As a staff, the Mariners are on record pace, with a 64.4 first-pitch strike percentage. According to FanGraphs, the Los Angeles Dodgers set the record of 64.2 percent in 2018.

“We’re emphatic about it,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “You’ve got to throw strike one. We talk about it all the time and we don’t back off, which is a credit to our coaching staff. Those guys understand how we’re built, what our foundation is, and when you put on our uniform you better adhere to it or get in line and understand it. Because that’s all you’re going to hear every day, and it works for us.”

Rookie Bryan Woo threw 14 first-pitch strikes to the 20 batters he faced Monday as the Mariners beat Oakland 7-0 in the opener of the three-game series.

Woo went six innings, and J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodriguez homered for the American League West-leading Mariners, who have won four games in a row and 12 of their past 13.

The crowd of 37,434 was Seattle’s largest for a Monday night since the team’s 2017 home opener.

“Unbelievable,” Rodriguez said. “I thought about that when I was in center field. I just looked around and I was like, ‘Man, that’s really cool, like on a Monday, people are showing out, showing the love and showing the energy. That’ll something that we need. We’re a pretty good baseball team. We are playing pretty good ball. That support, we always need that.”

The A’s, who have played in front of paltry crowds at home this season after announcing their intention to move to Las Vegas, certainly noticed Seattle’s support.

“Tonight was an electric crowd, and our young guys got to experience it and see what winning and playoff baseball is about,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay, whose team has lost three in a row and is the AL West cellar.

Kirby didn’t get a decision in a 5-4 loss in 10 innings last Wednesday against the host Chicago White Sox. He gave up three runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, with no walks and nine strikeouts.

Kirby is 2-0 with a 4.28 ERA in five previous starts against Oakland. He beat them 5-3 in Oakland on May 4 when he went seven innings and allowed three runs on seven hits.

The A’s plan to send left-hander Ken Waldichuk (2-7, 6.05 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday.

Waldichuk hasn’t registered a decision in his past four starts. On Thursday against the host White Sox, he allowed five runs on eight hits over five innings in a game the A’s rallied to win 8-5.

Waldichuk is 0-1 with a 7.04 ERA in two career appearances against Seattle. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings in a 6-1 loss May 24 at T-Mobile Park as he allowed five runs on eight hits, with three walks and seven strikeouts.

–Field Level Media

The Atlanta Braves have the best record in baseball, and Monday night they showed why.

Atlanta had 18 hits in a 14-4 win at the Colorado Rockies in the first of a three-game series. It was the Braves’ seventh straight win over Colorado, and they will go for No. 8 when the teams meet again in Denver on Tuesday night.

Charlie Morton (13-10, 3.37 ERA) will take the mound for the Braves against Peter Lambert (3-4, 4.92) in a matchup of right-handers.

Atlanta won the first game of the series with power, speed and timely hitting and can hurt opponents from one through nine in the order. The Rockies experienced that crush Monday in what has become an unfortunate familiar pattern for them.

“They put pressure on you all the way through,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “They have a deep lineup.”

The Rockies have a young lineup that got even younger over the weekend with the call-up of 23-year-old Hunter Goodman. He made his big-league debut Sunday in Baltimore with two hits and a diving catch of a line drive that ended the game.

Goodman showed it wasn’t a fluke with two more hits Monday night.

But Colorado needs more than enthusiastic youngsters to win; it also needs solid pitching. Lambert has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2020 to return to the Rockies’ rotation. The right-hander began this season in the bullpen, appearing in 14 games, and is scheduled to make his ninth straight start on Tuesday.

He has faced the Braves once in his career, in June in Atlanta when he tossed two scoreless innings of relief.

While Colorado is using the second half of this season to build for the future, the Braves are focusing on the now. Atlanta, which won the 2021 World Series, is cruising toward another NL East Division crown and currently holds home-field advantage for the playoffs.

The Braves have won in many different ways this year, but Monday added a twist. Ronald Acuna Jr., who had four hits, including a home run and two stolen bases, dealt with overly enthusiastic fans in the seventh inning.

A scary moment ended without harm when the two fans who rushed the field apparently just wanted a photo with the young star. Acuna was knocked to the ground but wasn’t hurt.

Security should be beefed up for Tuesday night, but Colorado doesn’t seem to have an answer for Acuna, who continued to make a case for the NL MVP with his five-RBI night. He is one home run short of becoming the first player in major league history to post a 30-homer, 60-stolen-base season.

Atlanta can do more than hit, though. Morton is showing that even at age 39, he is still worthy of being at the top of the rotation.

“It’s amazing what he is doing with all the innings he has logged and all the seasons,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said recently. “The ball is still coming out of his hand so good. It’s a testament to a guy who had dedicated himself to taking care of himself.”

Morton, in his 16th season, has plenty of experience against the Rockies. He is 5-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 13 career starts against them and is 3-1 with a 5.35 ERA in seven outings at Coors Field.

–Field Level Media

The Kansas City Royals are enduring another lost season, but one of the few bright spots has been the emergence of left-hander Cole Ragans as the team’s No. 1 starter.

Ragans has posted a 2.12 ERA with a 44-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last five starts for Kansas City. The Royals will look to Ragans to remain hot on Tuesday when they continue their three-game series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pittsburgh recorded a 5-0 win over the Royals on Monday behind a stellar outing by Johan Oviedo, who allowed two hits and struck out five en route to his first complete game.

“We just came out flat today as a team,” Royals left fielder MJ Melendez said. “I think we could’ve hit (against Oviedo). Props to him for going all nine. I think it was a battle with ourselves today. We just didn’t play how we wanted to.”

The Royals are hoping Ragans (5-4, 3.66 ERA) can help snap the team’s four-game losing streak when he takes the mound against Pittsburgh.

Ragans matched a career high with 11 strikeouts over six scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Oakland A’s last Wednesday.

Ragans, who was acquired from the Texas Rangers on June 30, left a strong impression on A’s manager Mark Kotsay after allowing just two hits with no walks.

“That was probably one of the best performances we’ve seen all season on the mound,” Kotsay said. “We’ve seen Ragans before. The (velocity), it definitely spiked. He was 98 to 100 (mph). You face that type of stuff and it’s a tough day.”

Ragans is making his first career appearance versus Pittsburgh, which quickly fell out of contention after going 20-8 to open the season.

Despite the team’s extended struggles, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington offered manager Derek Shelton a vote of confidence while meeting with reporters on Monday.

“We talk about getting better all the time,” Cherington said. “I’ve got to get better. We all have to get better. We all want to win. We all have our jobs to make that happen. And I believe (Shelton) is doing everything he can do to put us in the best position to compete and win.”

The Pirates are being led at the plate by third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who continued his August surge with four hits, a walk and an RBI on Monday.

Hayes has a team-high 18 RBIs in 23 games this month for the Pirates, who recorded their first win at Kauffman Stadium since July 20, 2015, on Monday.

Pittsburgh has not announced its starting pitcher for Tuesday, but the team is expected to turn to right-hander Luis Ortiz (2-4, 5.37) at some point in the next two games.

Ortiz, 24, has experienced mixed results in 12 games (11 starts) at the major league level this season. He allowed five runs over 3 1/3 innings in a 6-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals last Wednesday, but Cherington was encouraged by the outing.

“We’re seeing better velocity,” Cherington said. “We’re seeing glimpses of that stuff that we all remember from last year.”

Ortiz has yet to face the Royals in his career.

–Field Level Media

Chicago Cubs All-Star Justin Steele has done a relatively good job in containing the Milwaukee Brewers during his career.

However, the left-hander is about to face them amid their longest winning streak in two seasons.

Looking to increase their National League Central lead over the second-place Cubs, the visiting Brewers will aim for their 10th consecutive victory on Tuesday night.

Following Monday’s 6-2 victory at Chicago, Milwaukee has averaged 7.1 runs during its nine-game winning streak. It’s the Brewers’ longest winning stretch since an 11-game run from June 22-July 3, 2021.

“We’re playing good baseball,” said Tuesday’s scheduled starter, right-hander Corbin Burnes. “That’s what it’s going to take to beat good teams.”

The Cubs have proved to be a good team, going 26-12 since July 18 to work themselves into one of the three NL wild-card spots. Chicago also has won the last seven starts made by Steele (14-3, 2.80 ERA), who has a 2.60 ERA despite going 1-2 in 12 career appearances (10 starts) against the Brewers.

Steele has allowed three runs, 12 hits, a walk and struck out 13 through 12 innings of two 2023 starts vs. Milwaukee. Among the major league leaders with 17 quality starts, Steele has logged a career-high 138 innings this season and allowed two earned runs over six innings in each of his last two starts.

“He’s ready. He wants it,” Chicago pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “He wants to prove he can do it over a long season and continue to carry the workload.”

For as solid as the left-hander has been vs. Milwaukee, Christian Yelich is 8-for-19 against him. Yelich, who opened Monday’s contest with a homer, is batting .364 with two home runs and five RBIs against the Cubs this season.

Steele has never faced Milwaukee’s Mark Canha, who homered with a man on during his team’s four-run first inning Monday and is 6-for-16 with four RBIs in the last four contests.

Burnes (9-6, 3.65 ERA), meanwhile, also has 17 quality starts this season. However, he’s been tagged for five and six runs in two of his last three starts. The latter on Wednesday came in part due to three homers during the Brewers’ 8-7 win in 10 innings over the Minnesota Twins.

The right-hander did not yield any homers when he opened the season at Wrigley Field on March 30, but he did give up four runs and three walks in five innings of a 4-0 defeat.

Chicago’s Dansby Swanson had two hits in that contest and is 7-for-12 with two homers against Burnes. Meanwhile, the Cubs’ Cody Bellinger is batting .323 vs. Milwaukee this season but is only 2-for-12, with a homer, against Burnes.

The Brewers are 5-3 against the Cubs this season and have won three in a row at Wrigley Field.

Meanwhile, a loss Tuesday would mark Chicago’s first losing home series since dropping two of three to Boston right out of the All-Star break.

–Field Level Media

The San Diego Padres have experienced setback after setback to their pitching staff, with Yu Darvish’s relegation to the 15-day injured list the latest blow.

However, right-hander Seth Lugo (5-6, 3.70 ERA) remains one of the bright spots. He will face the host St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night in the middle game of a three-game series.

The Padres won the opener 4-1 on Monday to snap a three-game losing streak.

Lugo has thrown a combined 12 scoreless innings over his past two starts, against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins. He has allowed just eight hits and four walks while striking out 13, doing his best to keep San Diego’s dwindling playoff hopes alive.

The Padres have been diminished by injuries to Darvish (inflamed right elbow) and Joe Musgrove (inflamed right shoulder). Michael Wacha (inflamed shoulder) returned earlier this month after missing six weeks.

“We keep pushing until we get it right,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “A lot of these guys have had extreme workloads. … We’re starting to get a little banged up.”

Melvin loved what he saw from Lugo in the right-hander’s Wednesday start against the Marlins, a 4-0 San Diego win. Lugo and four relievers combined on a four-hitter.

“Aggressive, he tweaked his slider a little bit, curveball, mixing his pitches up a little bit, obviously up and down, both sides (of the plate). Had really good stuff today,” Melvin said. “We’ve seen him pitch like this quite often.”

Lugo is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 10 career appearances against St. Louis, including two starts.

The Cardinals have lost 10 of their past 12 games. They have dropped their past four games by the combined scored of 26-4.

They will counter on Tuesday Lugo with left-hander Zack Thompson (3-5, 3.86 ERA), who has shuffled between starting and relieving. Now that he is needed in the rotation, he has expanded his pitch arsenal to include a slider. That plays off his fastball, which can touch 98 mph, and his curveball.

“I think the most recent revelation on that was probably over the past four to six months trying to find what works for me,” Thompson said. “I was looking for more punchouts after last year and just trying to learn more about the way I throw things. I’m good at the things that are comfortable.

“Some guys can do the sinker-slider, throw these big sweepers, and that’s not comfortable for me being a vertical guy. I don’t know if there’s a better blueprint for a high-slot lefty.”

Thompson is still building endurance after making his shift from the bullpen. In five August appearances (three starts), he has a 2.84 ERA with six runs allowed on 19 hits in 19 innings. He has 23 strikeouts and just three walks during that span.

“The main thing with Thompson is mentality,” Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner said. “He’s embracing the opportunity. He’s being aggressive. He’s going after guys. He’s not playing around.”

This will be Thompson’s first career outing against the Padres.

Thompson will try to limit San Diego’s Garrett Cooper, who was the offensive star of Monday’s game with three hits and three RBIs. Cooper is 11-for-23 (.478) during a six-game hitting streak.

–Field Level Media

Royce Lewis will try to continue his record-setting power surge when the Minnesota Twins host the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night in the second installment of a three-game set.

Lewis, 24, etched his name into the Twins’ record book on Monday when he became the first player in franchise history to hit a grand slam in back-to-back games. Both blasts proved to be key as Minnesota won each game.

Now, the Twins hope to increase their lead in the American League Central even further over the second-place Guardians. A 10-6 win on Monday gave the Twins a seven-game cushion atop the division.

“They’re going to have to beat us at our game, and we’re going to have to beat them at their game,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said about the Guardians. “Just do what your team does well.”

Lately for the Twins, that has meant turning to a talented group of young hitters.

Lewis has appeared in only 50 games in an injury-marred career, but he has shown more than a few glimpses of his enormous potential. The former No. 1 overall pick has three grand slams among his first career 10 home runs, just the 10th player to accomplish that feat in modern major league history (since 1901).

“Honestly, I’m just doing what’s comfy,” Lewis said recently. “When I feel athletic in the box, I’m able to be me.”

Baldelli appreciates Lewis’ honesty.

“I don’t think that the technicians in there think about it quite like that,” the manager said. “(Carlos) Correa’s not going to look at you and drop a, ‘I’m doing this because it feels kind of comfy.’ But we’re here to figure out what works. I think that’s probably what works for Royce.”

Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez (9-6, 3.69 ERA) will start on Tuesday, trying to reach double-digit victories for the second consecutive season. The 27-year-old Venezuela native already has set a career high with 191 strikeouts in 158 2/3 innings.

In his past six starts, Lopez is 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA. He has walked five batters and struck out 39 in 37 innings during that span. However, his most recent outing was his only dud in that span, when he gave up five runs on 10 hits in five innings during a no-decision against the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

Lopez is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts against Cleveland. He faced the Guardians on June 1, allowing six runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (1-5, 3.52) is set to make the 13th start of his rookie campaign. The 2021 first-round pick out of East Carolina has 68 strikeouts in 64 innings.

Williams will try to break a winless streak spanning his past eight starts. The drought has had more to do with the Guardians’ subpar offense, as he has a respectable 3.20 ERA despite going 0-4 in that time.

“I think he realizes that he belongs,” Cleveland bench coach DeMarlo Hale said after a recent start by Williams. “It’s really a natural progression he’s going through. He’s just got that slow heartbeat.”

Williams will face the Twins for the first time in his career.

Minnesota is 40-27 at home this season; Cleveland is 29-37 on the road.

–Field Level Media