Reds vs. Diamondbacks: Pitching preview, prediction, and more

The Reds are riding hot heading into the desert to battle the D-backs.

Winning is fun. It’s hard to imagine there’s a hotter team in baseball than the Cincinnati Reds (5-1). After dropping their Opening Day matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Reds have been victorious in their last five outings, and are simply overwhelming their opponents.

During their three-game set with the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates, the Redlegs outscored the Bucs by an incredible 30-8 advantage. However, it’s not just the Pirates who have been blistered by the Reds’ offense.

Cincinnati has dented the plate for at least five runs in every game and currently owns a +31 run differential. The rival St. Louis Cardinals didn’t fare much better than Pittsburgh as they were outscored 27-18 in the season’s opening series. As a result, the Reds currently share the best record in the game with the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies.

You’re likely to find more hissing than smiling in the desert. The Arizona Diamondbacks (2-5) have struggled out of the gate. After dropping three of four to an excellent San Diego Padres club to open the season, the D-backs lost two of three to the Colorado Rockies.

Friday will be the Diamondbacks’ home opener, so the Reds can expect to see an emotionally charged Arizona club. Due to the 2020 schedule limiting travel for teams, this will be Cincinnati’s first visit to Phoenix since September of 2019.

Lifetime, the Reds lead the series over the Diamondback by a slim 76-71 margin, and the clubs have split their season series the last four years they have met. However, the Reds have found Chase Field to their liking. The visitors from the Queen City are 40-31 overall when playing in the desert.