On-base machine Jake Fraley and the Reds welcome the Phillies to Great American Ball Park

Reds OF Jake Fraley has been red-hot since returning from the IL.

It's alright to still be a little salty over the spring training trade that saw the Cincinnati Reds send former All-Stars Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker to the Seattle Mariners. However, outfielder Jake Fraley is doing his best to prove that the Cincinnati front office acquired something in return.

Since returning from the IL on July 30th, the former second-round pick is 14-for-34 (.412) with two homers and six RBIs. In addition, he's had four multi-hit games. Even better is the 27-year-old LSU alum has reached base at a .444 clip over his last seven games.

What does the future hold for Fraley? That remains to be seen. Last year was the first time he eclipsed 220 at-bats in a season, so it's safe to assume that no one truly knows what kind of player he can be at the big league level.

Nevertheless, Reds Country is about to find out over the last six weeks of the season. Following the recent deals involving outfielders Tyler Naquin and Tommy Pham at the trade deadline, there's absolutely no reason for manager David Bell not to give Fraley as many opportunities as possible.

Will Jake Fraley be the next Jesse Winker? Doubtful. However, if Fraley can at least be the left-handed version of Chris Heisey, the Cincinnati Reds will take it.

Prediction: Phillies upend the Reds in their quest for the playoffs.

This series is a tale of two ball clubs going in opposite directions as we've officially hit the dog days of August. The Cincinnati Reds have absolutely nothing to play for while the Phillies have postseason baseball within their grasp.

As a result, the contrast in motivation will be apparent this series as Philadelphia takes two of three from the Reds before Cincinnati embarks on a 10-game road trip kicking off Friday in Pittsburgh to battle the Pirates.