Cole Hamels (5-4, 2.91 ERA) and Mike Leake (2-4, 4.66 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies (20-33) and the Cincinnati Reds (22-28) at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won the last game 5-4 and Philadelphia leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jun. 3 and can be seen on FSN-OH and CSN-PHI.
Hamels is 9-0 with a 1.51 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 74 strikeouts against the Reds. Ryan Howard (.244, 17 Rs, 10 HRs, 25 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. Leake is 1-3 with a 7.41 ERA against the Phillies in his career. He takes on a below-average Philadelphia offense that’s batting just .238. Joey Votto (.286, 23 Rs, 9 HRs, 26 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 5 yesterday with two RBIs.
Philadelphia is a -138 favorite against Cincinnati and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Phillies have recorded an overall money line of -1,105 and have shown a weak performance as a favorite this season with a record of 2-5. Philadelphia has gone winless in its last 10 as the favorite. Philadelphia’s batters do not strike out very often at home, with only 6.5 per game. Turning to the pitchers, the Phillies are the fifth-best team in the NL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 8.3 hits per game to their opponents this season.
In the other locker room, Cincinnati is coming in with an overall money line of -564 and a disappointing record of 10-18 as the underdog. The Reds are an excellent base-stealing team with an MLB-best 50 stolen bases. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Reds are fifth in the NL with an average of 8.3 hits allowed per game.
The Phillies have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Phillies have a bad 15-27 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Leake takes the mound. Hamels (LHP) will be on the hill against the Reds, who have a 6-6 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, O/U – Under
Notes
For the seventh time this season, the Reds registered at least two errors in a game.
The Phillies are 1-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Reds are 1-3 in such matchups.
The Reds are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Phillies have a 1-5 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they outhit their opponents, the Reds are 15-6. The Phillies have a 14-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 30th, Philadelphia is at the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 162 this season. Cincinnati ranks near the bottom at 25th with 195.
Ranking 27th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 117 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top half at 12th with 162.
The Phillies are 10-12 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Reds are 19-14 when they hit at least one homer.
