Phillies-Reds Preview
Cincinnati, OH – Even with half their starting infield and their catcher on the disabled list, the Philadelphia Phillies’ offense is still dangerous.
The high-powered Phillies look to take two of three from the Cincinnati Reds in Wednesday’s series finale at Great American Ball Park.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Phillies –160 money line favorites for Wednesday’s game against the Reds. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 81% of more than 801 bets for this game have been placed on the Phillies -160.
Before Tuesday’s 9-6, 10-inning win in Cincinnati, Philadelphia (41-34) placed second baseman Chase Utley (sprained thumb) and third baseman Placido Polanco (sore elbow) on the 15-day DL. The Phillies are uncertain how long they will be out.
Utley and Polanco, who lead their respective positions in the NL All-Star voting, join catcher Carlos Ruiz – who has been on the DL since June 22 due to a concussion.
Despite playing without three players that have combined for 18 homers, 77 RBIs and 104 runs, the Phillies had little trouble generating offense Tuesday.
Wilson Valdez, Utley’s replacement at second, hit a three-run homer and matched a career-best with four RBIs, while backup catcher Brian Schneider also had a three-run shot. Schneider is 5 for 15 with two homers and four RBIs in his last five games.
"Just take it one by one,” Valdez said. "It’s kind of tough right now, but we’ve just got to play the game the right way.”
Philadelphia, which has plated at least nine runs in four of its last six games, has won nine of 13 to pull within 2 1/2 games of first-place Atlanta in the NL East.
Cincinnati (43-35) dropped one-half game behind St. Louis atop the NL Central after Tuesday’s defeat. The Reds have dropped two of three following a five-game winning streak.
Cincinnati mounted an impressive comeback in the losing effort, as Joey Votto hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth off Brad Lidge to send the game to extra innings.
Reliever Arthur Rhodes took the loss in the 10th as his major league record-tying streak of 33 straight scoreless appearances in a season came to an end.
"You hate to see Arthur’s streak end like that,” manager Dusty Baker said. "He was facing some tough hitters."
Now, Reds batters will need to contend with Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay (9-6, 2.29 ERA) in the series finale.
Halladay (9-6, 2.29 ERA) allowed six hits in seven innings of Friday’s 9-0 win over Toronto, beating his former team. The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner treated it like just another game, downplaying the significance of facing the club with which he spent his first 12 seasons.
"I did the best I could to take emotions out of it and go out and pitch,” Halladay said.
That will likely be the same way the six-time All-Star, known for his strong work ethic and competitiveness, approaches facing Cincinnati. Halladay is 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA in two starts against the Reds.
Cincinnati counters with Aaron Harang (6-7, 5.07), who gave up three runs, eight hits and a season-high five walks in seven innings of a 10-3 win over Cleveland on Friday. After the right-hander yielded four runs or more in six of his first nine outings of 2010, he has allowed three or fewer in five of his last six.
Another solid start could lower Harang’s ERA below 5.00 – someplace it hasn’t been since April 10.
Harang is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA in his last four starts against the Phillies, and has a 1.93 ERA in his last two outings against them in Cincinnati.
Posted: 6/30/10 1:05AM ET