Cincinnati Reds Series Preview: Opening Day Edition

Baseball is finally here as the Cincinnati Reds open up the 2016 season by hosting the Philadelphia Phillies.

After six months of no Reds regular season baseball, the wait has finally ended and the gates at Great American Ball Park will open to fans in a few short hours.

Opening Day in Cincinnati is one of the greatest traditions in baseball and this year will be no different. Lou Piniella, the manager of 1990 World Series-winning Reds, is set to be the grand marshal of the Opening Day parade and will also throw out the first pitch. When the ceremonies end, the Reds will take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the first of a three-game series.

Last year’s matchup

The Reds won the season series, 4-2, and outscored the Phillies by a 36-22 margin.

Phillies scouting report

Like the Reds, the Phillies are in full-on rebuild mode and are not expected by many to compete this year. The Phillies, of course, were the only team in Major League Baseball worse than the Reds last year, finishing with a record of 63-99 to earn the first pick in the 2016 draft. As such, the Phillies have a number of new, and probably unfamiliar, names on their roster. First baseman Ryan Howard and catcher Carlos Ruiz are the lone holdovers from the team’s glory years, while Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels and others have been traded elsewhere. Many of their top prospects have yet to reach the big leagues, but the Phillies will roll out several exciting young names on Opening Day, none more deserving of hype than third baseman Maikel Franco.

Game 1 (April 4, 4:10 p.m. ET)

Jeremy Hellickson (9-12, 4.62 ERA, 4.44 FIP) vs. Raisel Iglesias (3-7, 4.15 ERA, 3.55 FIP)

With Anthony DeSclafani starting out the year on the disabled list with a strained oblique, Iglesias gets the Opening Day start in what will be just his 19th major-league appearance. The right-hander from Cuba was particularly impressive down the stretch in 2015 and is expected by many to have a breakout season. Given his late start in spring training, Iglesias is expected to throw around 90 pitches on Monday.

He’ll face off against Hellickson, who the Phillies acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks over the winter. The 28-year-old hasn’t faced the Reds since 2011.

Game 2 (April 6, 7:10 p.m. ET)

Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.59 ERA, 4.04 FIP) vs. Brandon Finnegan (5-2, 3.56 ERA, 4.80 FIP)

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On Opening Night, the ball will go to Finnegan, who will be making his fifth career start in the majors. The southpaw labored through his final three spring starts, but was a lock to make the rotation with all the injuries. His limited time as a starter in 2015 was impressive, as he showed he was able to get deep into games despite being labeled by many as a reliever in the long run. If he can carry over some of his late season success into 2016, he can stick in the Reds’ rotation.

In Nola, one of the Phillies’ best young arms will take the mound on Wednesday evening. After the trade of Hamels in July, the right-hander was undoubtedly the best pitcher on the staff for the remainder of the year. Nola will be pitching against the Reds for the first time in his career.

Game 3 (April 7, 12:35 p.m. ET)

Charlie Morton (9-9, 4.81 ERA, 4.19 FIP) vs. Robert Stephenson (8-11, 3.83 ERA in minor leagues)

The highly anticipated debut of Stephenson will be the story of this game, as he’ll be the first of what should be many top Reds prospects to reach the big leagues in 2016. He’s probably not quite ready for the majors yet, but the injuries have forced the Reds’ hand. Control will be key for the 23-year-old, as his tendency to issue walks has slowed his progress to Cincinnati.

Opposing Stephenson will be a familiar foe in Morton, who spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates before signing in Philly over the offseason. The right-hander has posted a 4.04 ERA and 1.35 WHIP against the Reds in his career.

Player to watch: Eugenio Suarez

Everyone in the Queen City is excited to see what the new third baseman can do in his second year with the Reds. The 24-year-old impressed everyone with his bat in 2015, hitting .280/.315/.446 with 13 home runs, 48 RBI and a 105 wRC+ after taking over at shortstop once Zack Cozart went down for the season with a knee injury. He was arguably the Reds’ most impressive hitter in spring outside of Joey Votto, racking up nine extra-base hits in 70 plate appearances.