All-Star hopeful Brandon Drury battles his former team as the Reds face the Diamondbacks

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Brandon Drury
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Brandon Drury | Dylan Buell/GettyImages
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It was the week that wasn't for the Cincinnati Reds. Instead of finishing with an impressive 5-2 record last week, two ninth-inning bullpen meltdowns saddled the Reds (21-39) with a disappointing 3-4 mark. However, it's a new week filled with plenty of opportunities to crawl out of the National League Central basement, finally.

As play begins today, the Redlegs trail the slumping fourth-place Chicago Cubs by just 2.5 games in the NL Central. Since April 13th, Cincinnati has occupied last place in the division. But, securing wins away from Great American Ball Park has been a struggle for the Reds.

Cincinnati is 9-22 outside of the Queen City and has won only one road series to date. Nevertheless, revenge should be on the Reds' mind after blowing a two-run ninth-inning lead to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the final of a four-game set last week allowing the D-backs to escape Cincinnati with a series split.

Can the get a series victory on the road?

The Arizona Diamondbacks (29-33) return home following a 4-6 road trip. Currently, the Diamondbacks reside in fourth place in the NL West trailing the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers by nine games.

After securing a winning May, the D-backs have limped to a 4-7 start in June. However, Arizona has hardly been an intimidating force at Chase Park. The Diamondbacks are just 14-16 when playing in their home park.

Over the past decade, the Reds hold a slim 15-13 advantage over their hosts at Chase Field. Still, the Reds are looking to capture their first season series victory over the D-backs since the 2014 campaign. Mike Leake and Ardolis Chapman combined to shutout Arizona on July 29, 2014, to secure the season series for Cincinnati. In other words, it's been a while.

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