Reds’ Sims set for season debut against Pirates

The Reds plan to summon Lucas Sims from Triple-A to make his season debut on the mound on Tuesday. Cincinnati needs a starter after Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray were used in the doubleheader.

Sims, 25, was a first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2012. He was traded to Cincinnati last year in the deal that sent left fielder/first baseman Adam Duvall to the Braves.

Sims made a combined total of nine relief appearances for Atlanta and Cincinnati last season, producing a 7.47 ERA. He was 3-0 with a 4.06 ERA in nine starts for Louisville this season, racking up 63 strikeouts and 16 walks in 44 1/3 innings.

Veteran Jordan Lyles (5-1, 2.81 ERA) will start for the Pirates on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh has won eight of Lyle’s nine starts this season, including his latest outing, when he gave up a season-high six runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings against the visiting Colorado Rockies. He was credited with the win after the offense bailed him out in the 14-6 victory. Lyles has held the opposition to one run or no runs in six of his other eight starts.

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He threw five shutout innings against the visiting Reds in his season debut on April 4, improving to 4-1 in his career against Cincinnati with a 4.12 ERA in 15 games (eight starts).

Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto has been swinging a hot bat lately, raising his average from .208 to .242 in a six-game hitting streak.

He went 3-for-5 in the first game of the doubleheader before sitting out the second. Votto is 12-for-27 (.444) in his past six games, including four straight multi-hit games. Votto is also 7-for-16 (.438) off Lyles in his career with two doubles and two home runs. Votto has also walked six times against Lyles.

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