This Tuesday the (63-51) Philadelphia Phillies and the (45-68) Cincinnati Reds will play game two of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 6:40 PM EST inside the Great American Ball Park. This is also the first series between these two teams this regular season, as they are not familiar with one another.
The Philadelphia Phillies are coming into this one after a grueling series with the New York Mets. The Phillies dropped the final two games of this series, as they will need to be better on the mound and at the plate if they want to get back on the right track against the Reds.
The Cincinnati Reds are entering this one after losing their previous series to the Chicago Cubs. The Reds looked great at the dish in the final game of this series, as they will need to keep it rolling if they want to challenge the Phillies.
This game was written/published b efore last night's results.
The Philadelphia Phillies had a rough time at the plate in their last series, as they didn't help themselves in the NL Wild Card race. Philadelphia is now (7-3) in their last 10, as the Mets gave them a run for their money. They are now holding the final Wild Card spot, as they have a 1.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers. At the plate, the Phillies are scoring 4.68 runs per game and they are hitting .249 as a team. This is the seventh most runs scored per game and the 11th highest overall team batting average. Philadelphia has shown that they can consistently reach base and they have been very clutch when they have men in scoring position. The Phillies have also shown that they aren't one-dimensional at the plate. They are stringing together hits and showing that they have some serious power littered throughout their lineup. They are averaging 1.32 bombs per game, which is the sixth most in the MLB. It is very difficult to keep up with the Phillies on the scoreboard, as they can generate runs in a blink of an eye. I would also recommend watching for Alec Bohm when he is at the plate. He has been on fire this season, as he is hitting .288. This is the highest batting average on the team, as he has been consistently reaching base over the past few weeks.
According to MLB.com, the Phillies will start Kyle Gibson on the mound. He has been solid as of late, as he is (7-5) with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Reaching base has been difficult for his opponents and his team has won three of his last five starts. The last time he was on the mound he pitched for 6.0 innings, but only gave up two earned runs to the Marlins. He has had issues on the road, though. In his opponent's ballparks, he is (1-2) with a 4.73 ERA. Luckily, the Philadelphia bullpen has been on fire over the past few weeks. They are allowing 3.90 runs per game, which is the 16th least in the league. They are making it very d ifficult to score late in the game and they are keeping their opponents off the base paths. As a team, the Phillies are allowing 4.09 runs per game, which is the ninth least in the MLB.