It’s been since September 17th, 2024 since Brandon Williamson has taken a mound in a professional baseball game at any level, let alone at the big league level. His grind back after having Tommy John surgery on the UCL in his left arm, though, is finally complete.
Williamson will start for the Cincinnati Reds tonight at home in Great American Ball Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates in town, the second game of this three-game set between the NL Central rivals. The Reds took home the first game of the series last night behind an excellent start by Chase Burns and a rock solid effort from some inexperienced arms in their bullpen, and Williamson will hope to lead the charge tonight that gets them a second straight series victory.
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The lefty looked good all through Cactus League play, eventually earning his way onto the team’s Opening Day roster despite a positional battle with former 1st rounders like Burns and Rhett Lowder. After Nick Lodolo’s blister issues flared up, though, the team’s ‘six for five’ plan with their starters was reduced down to a five-man rotation that needed Williamson to be a starter from the outset.
That’s what we’re going to see for the first time tonight.
Spencer Steer will be the odd-man out of the starting lineup for this one after having started each of the team’s first four games of the year, the team’s utility-man extraordinaire sure to make an appearance at some point later in the game. Will Benson will slide over and start in LF with RHP Bubba Chandler on the mound for the Pirates, while Noelvi Marte is back in the starting lineup in RF after getting last night off.
Here’s how the Reds have stacked their lineup for the evening:
First pitch in this one is once again set for 6:40 PM ET, and you’ll be able to view the broadcast via Reds.TV.