Aaron Harang (4-5, 2.02 ERA) and Anthony DeSclafani (3-4, 3.41 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies (21-33) and the Cincinnati Reds (22-29) at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won the last game 5-4 and Philadelphia leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 4 and can be seen on FSN-OH, CSN-PHI and MLB Net.
Harang is 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts against the Reds. DeSclafani is 1-1 with a 7.94 ERA when pitching against the Phillies. He takes on a below-average Philadelphia offense which is hitting just .236 this season. Joey Votto (.293, 24 Rs, 10 HRs, 28 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 3 for 6 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
Philadelphia is a narrow -109 favorite at home against Cincinnati. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of seven runs. The Phillies have recorded an overall money line of -936 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. Crossing over to the pitching staff, the Phillies are the fifth-best team in the NL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 8.4 hits per game to their opponents this season.
Over in the other dugout, Cincinnati is coming in with an overall money line of -743 and a disappointing record of 10-18 as the underdog. The Reds are an excellent base-stealing team with an MLB-best 53 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, 2-0. The Phillies have a bad 16-27 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when DeSclafani takes the mound. Harang (RHP) will be on the hill against the Reds, who have a 16-22 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, O/U – Under
Notes
Philadelphia recorded at least two errors for the 10th time this season.
When the Phillies play into extra innings, they have a 2-2 record. The Reds are 1-4 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Reds managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Phillies who are heading in with a 7-6 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Phillies are 6-25. The Reds have a 5-20 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 30th in home runs, Philadelphia has hit 30 this season. Cincinnati ranks sixth with 59 home runs.
Philadelphia and Cincinnati both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Philadelphia sits at 13th with 7.92 hits per game and Cincinnati ranks 12th with 8.06.
Ranking 30th, Philadelphia is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.635). Cincinnati ranks in the top half at 15th with an OPS of .709.
The Reds are 12-22 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Phillies are 7-24 when they allow at least one homer.
