(Photo credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images)

The Cincinnati Reds look to continue their strong pitching to start the season when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game weekend series Friday.

Entering MLB play Thursday, the Reds had MLB's fourth-best ERA at 3.15

Entering Wednesday's finale at San Francisco, the Reds had the lowest starting pitching ERA (2.52) in baseball, posting seven quality starts, while holding the opposition to a .200 batting average and an MLB-best 0.98 walks/hits per nine innings.

The Reds had back-to-back shutouts from Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo to start the series in San Francisco. They were on their way to a three-game sweep on Wednesday, leading 5-0 through three innings and 6-1 in the sixth before the Giants scored four runs in the sixth against starter Nick Martinez.

The Giants tied the game on a homer from Wilmer Flores in the eighth and won it in the 10th on a two-run shot by Mike Yastrzemski against Emilio Pagan. Still, the Reds finally had their first series win this season.

'We won the series. Obviously, when you win the first two games, you want to get the sweep (and) finish the job,' Cincinnati designated hitter Spencer Steer said. 'I think there were a lot of positives from this series. The pitching was incredible. The defense was incredible.'

The Reds will open their season series against the Pirates by sending right-hander Brady Singer (2-0, 2.25 ERA) to the mound. No one has had better run support in baseball than Singer.

The Reds have scored 25 total runs in Singer's two starts this season. Cincinnati has scored 25 total runs in their other 11 games.

On Saturday in an 11-7 win at Milwaukee, Singer was staked to a 7-0 lead and allowed five runs (three earned) on nine hits over five innings. He has 15 combined strikeouts with three walks in his two starts.

Singer is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two career starts against Pittsburgh, including last Sept. 15 for the Kansas City Royals when he allowed four runs on six hits over five innings in a 4-3 loss.

The Pirates will counter with lefty Bailey Falter (0-1, 8.10), who is making his third start of the season. Falter allowed seven runs in four innings while being charged with the loss Saturday against the New York Yankees.

He surrendered just two runs in six innings in his first start on March 29 at Miami but came away with a no-decision in a 5-4 extra-inning loss. Falter will be making his ninth career appearance (seventh start) against the Reds, going 0-3 with a 7.02 ERA against them lifetime.

The Pirates are coming off a wild 2-1 win in 13 innings at home on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The game featured a wild collision and putout in the eighth when catcher Joey Bart and first baseman Endy Rodriguez collided while trying to catch a pop-up near home plate. Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes saved the run by picking up the ball and tagging out the runner Thomas Saggese trying to score from third.

Bart drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th to give the Pirates a 3-3 homestand. The weekend series in Cincinnati marks the only three road games in a stretch of 16 overall for Pittsburgh.

'We're however many games in and have however many to go,' Bart said. 'It's a long year. Don't get too high or too low. Let the thing play out and stay about our process and try to win games like that, that are close. If you can win a lot of close games, you can be a good team.'

--Field Level Media