Series Preview: Reds at Phillies

Stumbling along on a 7-game losing streak, the Phillies (19-33) welcome the Cincinnati Reds (22-27) in to Citizens Bank Park for a 3-game series. The Reds had been playing at a terrible level and were mired in a 9-game losing streak before they began to play better over the past week. The Reds have won 4 of 5, and are coming off a 3-game sweep of the Washington Nationals.

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Cincy currently sits in fourth place in the National League Central Division, 10.5 games behind the Saint Louis Cardinals. Meanwhile the Phils are in last place and fading in the NL East, 10 games out of first place.

The Reds feature a nice collection of talented hitters. Their hottest bats include Brandon Phillips (.291/.326/.364, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 6 SB), Todd Frazier (.287/.372/.624, 16 HR, 31 RBI, 6 SB), and Joey Votto (.282/.383/.492, 9 HR, 24 RBI, 5 SB).

The Phillies’ best hitters from a seasonal standpoint all seem to be stuck in a slump together at the moment. That would be Freddy Galvis (.289/.342/.335, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 5 SB), Ben Revere (.258/.300/.333, 1 RBI, 10 SB), and Ryan Howard (.244/.284/.494, 10 HR, 25 RBI).

PITCHING MATCHUPS:

Sean O”Sullivan (1-4, 4.81 ERA) v. Johnny Cueto (3-4, 3.03 ERA) – After stringing together a few good starts, O’Sullivan turned in his worst outing of the season (5.2, 7 ER, 11 H, 1 BB, 2 SO) in New York a few days ago. He looks to get back on track and pick up his second win of the season, but once again draws a tough opponent in Cueto.  However, the Red’s ace has not started since May 19^th because of an elbow injury. The Reds ace has been the subject of trade rumors, and hopes to show that he is recovered from his injury, is fully healthy, and is back to dominating form.

Cole Hamels (5-4, 2.91 ERA) v. Mike Leake (2-4, 4.66 ERA) – Hamels continues to pitch at an outstanding level. Even though he took the loss, the Phils’ lefty ace did an excellent job the other night (8 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 9 SO) against the Rockies. As always, Hamels is pitching with a plethora of trade rumors surrounding him. The latest, per WEEI 93.7 FM, states that the Phillies are willing to eat some of the money Hamels is owed, while expecting top-notch talent in return. Hamels will likely go to the mound unfazed by all this on Wednesday and pitch to the premier level he has maintained for most of the season. Leake has not been very good for the Reds lately and is coming off a poor start at home against the Rockies (5 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 4 SO). He’ll hope for some much needed improvement against the lackadaisical Phillies offense.

Aaron Harang v. Anthony DeSclafani (3-4, 3.41 ERA) – Despite being unofficial on the Phillies’ website, Aaron Harang (4-5, 2.02 ERA) is expected to go for Philadelphia on Thursday. As has been usual this season, he is coming off a pretty good start (6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 SO) and will look to build off it in the series finale. DeSclafani has put together a pretty nice season and kept it going last Friday against a potent Nationals’ lineup (6 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 1 SO). He’ll try to keep that rolling against the much less formidable Fightin’ Phils.

SERIES KEYS:

Break the streak – With their losing streak now at 7; it’s the Phillies longest since 2013. The team is likely feeling pressure and frustration as they head into this series. They are in desperate need of a win to break the cycle and need to find a way to begin playing better baseball. To get that much needed win, they’ll need to grind out at-bats, play airtight defense, and exhibit strong fundamental baseball. Doing these little things will still not guarantee wins, but they improve the odds, and would certainly bring a change of pace for fans to watch as opposed to the recent poor playing style of Phillies baseball.

Cash in on opportunities: The Phils are stuck deep in a huge offensive slump and seem to be pressing as a group. The Phillies are batting 1-28 with runners in scoring position since May 26th, and no one can expect to be successful at scoring runs when they put up such dreadful numbers. The team must make a change in approach if they hope to get out of this losing streak and perhaps even pick up a series win.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

Game 1: Tuesday, 7:05 PM, TV: CSN, Radio: 1210FM, 94AM, 1680AM (Spanish Language)

Game 2: Wednesday, 7:05 PM, TV: CSN, Radio: 1210FM, 94AM, 1680AM (Spanish Language)

Game 3: Thursday,  7:05 PM, TV: CSN, Radio: 1210FM, 94AM, 1680AM (Spanish Language)

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE forecast for Citizens Bank Park

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. Northeast wind 8 to 13 mph.

Tuesday Night

A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. East wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday

A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. East wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night

A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. Northeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday

A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday Night

A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

INJURY STATUS