The Cincinnati Reds (24-29, 31-22 RL, 30-23 O/U) battle the Boston Red Sox (28-25, 28-25 RL, 32-20-1 O/U) in the first of a three-game interleague series on Tuesday evening. The Reds will give the nod to Ben Lively. The Red Sox will reply with Brayan Bello. Each team won two games in last year's season series.
The Reds will have Ben Lively on the hill to begin the series. Lively was outstanding in his previous start, limiting the Cardinals to only two runs in six innings, and collected the win. The right-hander has only made four starts and has been a nice surprise, conceding two or fewer runs in all four outings and has a stellar 2.65 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP to go with a 2-2 record in 17 innings pitched on the season. Lively has conceded three runs in seven career innings against the Red Sox.
Cincinnati is on a six-game road trip. They stand at 10-15 on the road. The squad is thriving, issuing a three-game road sweep against the Cubs on the weekend propelled by the hot bats, scoring 25 runs in the series. The Reds are a young team having an inconsistent season but have been competitive, posting a solid 5-2 record in their last seven games.
Off the bench, in the clutch. @TjFriedl1 pic.twitter.com/CMbV9nJOEn
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 28, 2023
Nick Senzel is producing, knocking in seven runs in his last seven games. The 27-year-old center fielder is having a decent season, bashing four homers with 25 RBIs and a respectable .733 OPS. Senzel went 0 for 9 with one RBI against the Red Sox last season.
The Reds are in a groove at the plate and are averaging 4.58 runs on the year, marking them 15th. The pitching has been better recently and is carrying a 4.90 team ERA, pegging them 27th.