The Cincinnati Reds (45-39, 53-31 RL, 49-35 O/U) take on the Washington Nationals (34-49, 48-35 RL, 38-41-4 O/U) in a special Fourth of July morning edition. The Reds will send Brett Kennedy to the mound. The Nationals will reply with Patrick Corbin. The Nationals went 4-3 against the Reds last season.
The Reds are dealing with injuries to Ben Lively and Hunter Greene and Brett Kennedy has been recalled from the minor leagues to either start or pitch bulk innings. Kennedy has not pitched in the MLB since the 2018 season as a member of the Padres. The right-hander posted solid numbers in Triple-A this year, recording a 3.71 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP accompanied by a 2-2 record in 43.2 innings pitched. Kennedy issued a poor 6.75 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP in 26 innings in his lone MLB season. The bullpen has been mediocre, reporting a 4.07 ERA on the season.
Cincinnati is in the early stages of a road trip. They have been stellar on the road where they are four games above the .500 mark. They won their previous road series against the Orioles. The Reds won two of three home meetings against the Padres this past weekend and are 6-4 in their last ten bouts. T hey stand first in the NL Central.
Spencer Steer is one of many promising hitters on this young squad. The 25-year-old first baseman has knocked in a remarkable 10 runs in his last eight games and now has 50 RBIs accompanied by a stellar .876 OPS on the season. Steer is playing against the Nationals for the first time in his career.
Cincinnati is scoring an average of 4.98 runs per game, ranking them sixth. The pitching is a weakness, recording a 4.98 team ERA, pegging them 27th.