The Cincinnati Reds are heading into a three-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies at a rough point in their season, and they need this series to do some damage control before the All-Star Break arrives. Cincinnati sits at 41-48 and in last place in the NL Central, with six losses in its last eight games.
Game one brings a tough matchup right away. The Reds are expected to send Andrew Abbott to the mound, and he comes in at 5-4 with a 3.88 ERA.
Abbott’s last start was against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 1, when he covered five innings and gave up two earned runs and five hits. The challenge is a Phillies lineup that is hitting .238 as a team and has already hit 120 home runs this season.
Philadelphia is countering with Zach Wheeler, and the numbers tell the story there too. Wheeler is 8-1 with a 2.36 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. His most recent outing, also on July 1 against the Pirates, was a shaky one by his standards: 4.2 innings, four earned runs, and nine hits.
Cincinnati’s rotation plan for the rest of the series is set, too. Chase Burns is lined up for game two, and he has put together a 10-1 record with a 2.40 ERA while staying in the NL Cy Young conversation. Burns last pitched on July 2 against the Milwaukee Brewers, working six innings, allowing two earned runs and four hits, and striking out four.
The Reds are expected to finish the series with Brady Singer on the mound. Singer has had a difficult season at 3-8 with a 5.03 ERA, and he has given up nine runs over his last 7.1 innings.
For Philadelphia, Jesus Luzardo is slated for the series finale. Luzardo is 7-4 with a 3.75 ERA, and he was sharp in his last start on July 4 against the Royals, allowing one earned run in six innings. The Phillies have not yet named a starter for game two.
The series opens tonight at 7:00 P.M. at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.
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 🡒]