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

The Reds welcome the Phillies to town for Memorial Day.

Following a 1-6 homestand, the Cincinnati Reds (23-28)  at least did not fall further under .500 by splitting a six-game road trip that saw them visit Washington D.C. and Chicago. Realistically, it’s the best Reds Country could have hoped for as the two cities have been brutal stops for the Redlegs in recent years.

Tyler Mahle had an exceptional week. The right-hander won both of his starts tossing 10.1 innings of shutout baseball. In addition, the California native allowed just four hits and two walks while recording 10 punchouts.

What more can you say about Nick Castellanos? Yesterday the Cincinnati right-fielder extended his hit streak to 16 games. As play begins today, he’s leading the National League in batting average, slugging, and OPS. If Castellanos can continue anything remotely close to this pace, he’ll go down as one of the best free-agent signings in club history.

The Philadelphia Phillies (25-28) come to town after dropping the final two games of their weekend set with the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s been a tough stretch for the Phillies, who have dropped seven of their last 10 games and lost former MVP Bryce Harper, to the IL with a bruised left forearm.

There’s no doubt the Phils would love to have Harper in the lineup over the next three days because the Queen City has proved to be a royal pain for the ballclub in recent years. Since 2012 the Reds have won 19 of the 26 contests between the two at Great American Ball Park.

Additionally, the Phillies have not won a series in Cincinnati since 2012 and have been swept four times over the past decade. Hall of Famer Roy Halladay was the last Philadephia pitcher to secure a series-clinching victory for the Phils in Cincinnati. In other words, it’s been a long time since the Phillies have left the Queen City feeling good about themselves.