Reds' Brandon Williamson relishes return to mound vs. Pirates

Left-hander Brandon Williamson will get his first chance in more than 18 months to get back on a major league mound Tuesday night when the Cincinnati Reds host the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Williamson, who missed the 2025 season after recovering from Tommy John surgery, will pitch for the first time since Sept. 17, 2024. He will oppose Pirates' right-hander Bubba Chandler, who is entering his second season in the majors.

Williamson went 5-5 with 4.46 ERA in 23 starts in his rookie season in 2023. He then made four appearances (three starts) with a 3.77 ERA in 2024 before his surgery.

Williamson, who has a 2.20 ERA without a decision in two career starts versus Pittsburgh, originally was projected to be among a three-pitcher group to occupy the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation. Another thought was that he'd replace Nick Martinez in the bullpen after the latter departed for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Injuries to Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, however, created an opportunity for him to make the fifth start of the season.

With those two starters out, Williamson is looking to solidify the Reds' rotation and perhaps earn himself a more permanent position within it.

"It's pretty solid, especially for it to be kind of our skeleton crew," Williamson said. "It's a pretty impressive skeleton crew. We've got to go out and perform. On paper, it's pretty good."

Cincinnati rebounded from a season-opening loss to win three in a row, including a 2-0 decision against Pittsburgh on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.

First baseman Sal Stewart continued his torrid start on Monday and became the second rookie since 1958 to reach base three or more times in each of his team's first four games of a season. Stewart, who joined Cleveland's Steven Kwan (2022) for the honor, is 8-for-12 so far with three home runs and five walks.

Through the Pirates' first four games, Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn are off to strong starts at the plate.

Each had a hit and two walks on Monday.

Lowe is 6-for-14 with three home runs with four RBIs and four walks. O'Hearn is 7-for-16 with a home run with three RBIs and three walks.

The Pirates signed both in the hopes of energizing a lineup that produced an MLB-low 583 runs last season.

The two have accounted for all four of Pittsburgh's home runs so far and driven in seven of its 13 runs. The Pirates are hitting .223 as a team (33 of 148) and just .169 if you remove Lowe and O'Hearn (20 of 118).

"It's always early in the season, especially when you're struggling, everything gets magnified," Pirates manager Don Kelly said. "Lowe and O'Hearn have been really strong, and we're going to need everyone to chip in and they certainly will. ... The guys just need to stay within themselves and keep battling and we'll come up with some big hits."

Chandler went 4-1 with a 4.02 ERA in four starts and seven appearances overall last season following his late-August MLB debut. He is at the back end of Pittsburgh's rotation, but in position to potentially often go back-to-back with Pirates ace Paul Skenes.

Chandler has yet to face the Reds in his career.

--Field Level Media