The Philadelphia Phillies return home to Citizens Bank Park to host the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game set starting at 6:40 pm on Monday night. Philly returns to Pattison Avenue after picking up five wins during a six-game road trip through Boston, MA, and Pittsburgh, PA.
Cincinnati arrives in town with a 4-12 record in May, while the rest of their division stacks wins like poker chips. It’s an important early-season series for a pair of squads looking to stay in contention after early season struggles.
Who: Cincinnati Reds (24-23) @ Philadelphia Phillies (24-23)
When: Monday, 6:40 pm
Tuesday, 6:60 pm
Wednesday, 1:05 pm
Where: Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia, PA)
Mon.: Andrew Painter (1-4, 6.21 ERA) vs. Nick Lodolo (0-1, 8.68 ERA)
Tue.: Jesús Luzardo (3-3, 5.07 ERA) vs. Chase Burns (5-1, 1.87 ERA)
Wed: Aaron Nola (2-3, 5.91 ERA) vs. Andrew Abbott (3-2, 4.21 ERA)
Philadelphia has clawed its record back above the .500 mark at 24-23 following a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates last weekend. With temperatures reaching digits reserved for a major league fastball, “Hittin' Season” has arrived early on Citizens Bank Way.
Kyle Schwarber (20 HRs) leads the league in home runs, and he continues to send baseballs into orbit at major league ballparks across the country. “DJ Schwarber” has seven road home runs (in five away parks) while serving up 13 souvenirs to eagerly awaiting Phillies fans standing in front of blue chairs. Brandon Marsh leads the team with 52 hits, producing a .329 batting average. Bryce Harper owns the top spot with a .376 on-base percentage (OBP), leading Schwarber (.357) and Marsh (.355).
The Phillies will rely on the bottom of the rotation for this series against the Reds. Painter has received a harsh introduction to life in the majors, but the first-year starter gave himself something to build off of after five solid innings in a no-decision against Boston. Meanwhile, Luzardo (49 2/3 IP) and Nola (45 2/3 IP) have tossed the second and third most innings this season for the Phillies, respectively. If Philadelphia can receive quality starts from two of the three starters this weekend, the team should walk away with a seventh consecutive series win.
Elly De La Cruz leads Cincinnati in batting average (.302), hits (57), home runs (11), RBIs (31) and OBP (.364), while Sal Stewart enjoys a breakout rookie campaign with 10 homers and is tied with De La Cruz for the team RBI lead.
The Reds have showcased decent power at the plate this season. Cincy is ranked third in the National League with 61 home runs, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers (62) and the Atlanta Braves (66). The Reds will need that power this week to find winds in Philly as the rest of the N.L. Central features winning records, and they are the only team in their divison with a negative run differential. Cincinnati runs the risk of falling out of the postseason race early following a 4-6 record over its last 10 games.
The Reds are scheduled to throw their best two starters in Philadelphia this week. Burns features a 5-1 record, allowing only 11 earned runs to form a sterling 1.87 ERA. He has recorded six quality starts in his nine outings. Abbott, the Reds' starter in the series finale, is second on the pitching staff with three quality starts in 10 appearances.
Philadelphia’s offense should find success if it can chase Cincinnati's starters early and attack a bullpen featuring a combined ERA at just under five runs this season (4.98), good for worst in the NL.
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