The Philadelphia Phillies are finally going to play their first road games of the second half when they travel to the American Ball Park this Thursday for a four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. The Phillies and the Reds are heading towards opposite directions. While the Phillies are on top of the NL East, the Reds are wallowing in the bottom of the NL Central with barely any hope of at least getting out of it. But will the Reds pull off an upset and damage Philadelphia’s chances for a division title?
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Game by Game Betting Preview for the Philadelphia Phillies vs Cincinnati Reds Regular Season Series Running from July 26-29, 2018
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio.
When:
Game 1: Thursday, July 26, 7:10PM ET
Game 2: Friday, July 27, 7:10PM ET
Game 3: Saturday, July 28, 6:40PM ET
Game 4: Sunday, July 29, 1:10PM ET
Line: Philadelphia Phillies vs Cincinnati Reds– view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: MLBTV
Game 1: Thursday, July 26, 7:10PM ET
Starters: Ranger Suarez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Tyler Mahle (7-8, 4.32ERA)
Pitching:
Suarez will finally wet his feet in the majors, as he’s set to make his big league debut this Thursday against the Reds. The lefty has allowed only a run in three starts in Triple-A Lehigh Valley before getting the call-up. Mahle has been atrocious on the mound in his last two starts, during which he surrendered 11 earned runs on 13 hits with five walks in 8.0 total innings. The Reds, however, are 7-3 in his last 10 starts.
Hitting:
- Cesar Hernandez is batting .286 on the road this season.
- Scooter Gennett is batting .296 vs. lefties this season as of this writing.
Writer’s Prediction:
Cincinnati wins, 5-4.
Game 2: Friday, July 27, 7:10PM ET
Starters: Nick Pivetta (6-8, 4.69 ERA) vs. Anthony DeSclafani (4-3, 5.40ERA)
Pitching:
Pivetta yielded four earned runs in the first four innings of his last start and did not allow another run from that point until when he was pulled out in the seventh frame of a 10-2 loss at home to San Diego. He did fan nine hitters, though, so there’s a positive takeaway. Plus, the Phillies are still 3-1 in his last four starts. DeSclafani is 1-2 with a 5.05 ERA in his last three starts and is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts this month.
Hitting:
- Joey Votto is 2-for-3 vs. Pivetta.
- Maikel Franco is 3-for-6 with two doubles vs. DeSclafani.
Writer’s Prediction:
Philly wins, 7-4.
Game 3: Saturday, July 28, 6:40PM ET
Starters: Vince Velasquez (7-8, 4.05 ERA) vs. Matt Harvey (5-6, 5.21ERA)
Pitching:
In his last start, Velasquez tossed seven scoreless innings and struck out seven hitters in a 5-0 home win over the Padres on July 24. Two days later, he showed up on the mound for an inning of relief in a 7-4 win at home over the Dodgers, wherein he allowed zero runs and a hit. He is 2-3 with a 2.42 ERA in eight road starts. Harvey was having a nice stretch until July 22, when the red-hot Pirates tagged him with eight runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings of a 9-2 Cincy home loss. The Reds are 4-2 in Harvey’s last six starts.
Hitting:
- Scooter Gennett is the only Cincy hitter who has faced Velasquez before. He is 0-for-2 against the hurler.
- Cesar Hernandez is 4-for-13 vs. Harvey.
Writer’s Prediction:
Cincinnati wins, 5-4.
Game 4: Sunday, July 29, 1:10PM ET
Starters: Zach Eflin (7-2, 3.41 ERA) vs. Luis Castillo (5-8, 5.30 ERA)
Pitching:
Eflin lasted just 2.2 innings in his last start, as he allowed three earned runs on five hits (three homers) before manager Gabe Kepler decided to pull him out of the mound in a 7-6 home loss to the Dodgers on July 23. Castillo, meanwhile, has not pitched for more than 5.1 innings in any of his last three starts, though, he didn’t allow more than three earned runs in any of those outings either. The Reds are 5-1 in Castillo’s six starts.
Hitting:
- Adam Duvall is 3-for-3 vs. Eflin.
- The Phillies’ current lineup is 5-for-23 vs. Castillo.
Writer’s Prediction:
Philly wins, 7-4.
Writer’s Overall Series Prediction
The Reds surprise and take two of four for a moral victory over the Phillies.
Bet on the Phillies vs Reds regular season series
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