The Reds are back at Great American Ball Park tonight to open a new series against a Phillies team that’s still in the hunt in the National League East. Philadelphia comes in at 50-41, trying to close the gap on Atlanta before the All-Star break, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
On the mound, it’s a strong pitching matchup: Andrew Abbott for Cincinnati against Zack Wheeler for Philadelphia.
Abbott has steadied himself after a rocky opening stretch. In his first six outings, things were rough, but over his last 12 starts since April 30, he’s worked to a 2.71 ERA across 66.1 innings.
He’s already seen the Phillies once this season, throwing 5.1 innings and allowing one earned run in a Reds win in Philadelphia. His last outing was less crisp, though, as he issued five walks in 5.0 innings against the Brewers and gave up two runs.
The splits tell a more complicated story. Left-handed hitters did real damage early, but that hasn’t held.
In Abbott’s first six starts, lefties hit .481/.500/.704 against him. Since then, they’ve been held to .200/.250/.293.
Right-handers have also had a tougher time, hitting just .220/.307/.376 against him in that same stretch. Overall, Abbott has allowed a .244 average to righties and .275 to lefties, with his pitch mix leaning heavily on a 92.7 mph four-seamer that he throws 47% of the time.
Wheeler’s season has been what the Phillies needed after he missed the first month. He’s made 13 starts since returning, and Philadelphia has gone 11-2 in those games. His last outing was his roughest of the year, with Pittsburgh collecting nine hits and four runs in 4.2 innings, though the Phillies still came away with the win.
Even so, Wheeler’s numbers remain sharp. Right-handed hitters are batting .198 against him, while lefties are at .189.
Neither side has done much damage in terms of power, and both groups are sitting under a .600 OPS against him. Wheeler’s arsenal is spread across a 95.4 mph four-seamer, a 95.0 mph two-seamer, a cutter, curve, slider, and split.
Cincinnati also got a small update on Ke’Bryan Hayes, whose rehab assignment has been moved from High-A Dayton to Triple-A Louisville after he went 1-for-6 with Dayton. The Bats are home this week.
The Reds’ place in the division remains a steep climb. Milwaukee leads at 56-33, with Chicago at 50-40, St.
Louis at 47-41, Pittsburgh at 46-45, and Cincinnati sitting at 41-48. Fangraphs puts the Reds’ playoff odds at 2.5%.
In Other News...
Reds Fans Can See Where This Former Core Piece Is Headed
Matt McLains season has reached the point where the Reds are making quieter but telling decisions around him. During a recent game against the Phillies, Terry Francona turned to Ivan Johnson in a late spot instead of sticking with McLain, another sign that Cincinnati is trying to squeeze more offense out of a lineup that has not gotten enough from one of its former core pieces.
McLain has already been moved down in the batting order, and the numbers have only deepened the concern about where this is headed. For a club that has fallen from a fast start into last place in the NL Central, every at-bat matters, and the Reds now have to weigh whether a reset is the best way to get McLain back on track before the seasons next roster decisions start to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Francona Just Sent A Clear Message About Ellys Role
Terry Francona has made the early call on where Elly De La Cruz belongs, and for now it keeps the Reds most electric player right where he has been setting the tone. De La Cruz has been giving Cincinnati plenty to like at the top of the order, with a recent stretch that included hits, walks and stolen bases, the kind of production that can change the feel of an inning before the rest of the lineup even steps in.
Franconas stance matters because the Reds are still sorting out how best to maximize an offense that leans heavily on De La Cruz to spark it. The managers view is that moving him would not improve the lineup as a whole, which leaves Cincinnati with a clear message about how it plans to attack games for now and a strong hint about who it expects to carry the load when the bats get rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Fans Wont Believe Which Core Starter Just Entered Trade Buzz
The Reds rotation has been one of the more stable parts of the roster, but the trade deadline always has a way of turning stability into speculation. MLB insider Jon Morosi raised eyebrows by floating the idea that Cincinnati could listen on Andrew Abbott, a left-hander who has become a familiar part of the staff and still fits neatly into the clubs long-term plans. Even if the notion feels far-fetched, it is the kind of rumor that forces a front office to think about how much pitching depth it really wants to protect.
There are other names in the mix if the Reds decide to explore the market, and Nick Lodolo has quietly made himself harder to ignore with the way he has thrown the ball lately. Brady Singer also stands out as the cleaner deadline fit because of his contract situation, while the return of Hunter Greene has already tightened the rotation picture and pushed other arms into different roles. For Cincinnati, the real question is not whether it has pitching to talk about, but which arm it would be willing to move if the right deal comes along. [Read more 🡒]