The Cincinnati Reds will be looking for somewhat of a repeat showing of last week’s matchup that saw Nick Lodolo and Phillies starter Ranger Suarez face off. Both pitchers were outstanding, but the end result was a 1-0 victory for Cincinnati. After losing the series opener of the 4-game series the Reds hope to even things up in Philadelphia tonight. First pitch is set for 7:05pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Here are the lineups for this today’s game:
Starting Pitchers
Nick Lodolo
Coming off of an 8-strikeout, 7-shutout inning performance against the Phillies in his last start, Nick Lodolo will be looking for a repeat appearance. He’ll be hoping to get more than one run from the offense like he did last time out, but that’s out of his control.
Opposing managers have done their absolute best to avoid sending left-handed hitters to the plate against Nick Lodolo this season. He’s gone three starts without facing a single one, and in the other eight he’s managed to have just 32 plate appearances against a lefty. The few that have been given a shot to face him haven’t done much other than draw a few walks. Right-handed hitters have found far more success against him, hitting .290/.384/.447. There’s not been a ton of power in there, but they are turning limited contact into hits at a high rate and drawing plenty of walks against him.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 219 | 55 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 62 | .290 | .384 | .447 |
| LHH | 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | .200 | .375 | .240 |
Pitch Usage
| Sinker | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 94.3 | 88.2 | 82.0 |
| Usage | 57.9% | 15.0% | 27.0% |
Ranger Suarez
Last week saw Lodolo and Suarez face off and they each picked up eight strikeouts in 7.0 shutout innings of a game that the Reds eventually won 1-0. Suarez has been dominant since returning to the Phillies active roster on July 16th after missing a few weeks. In six starts that have covered 35.1 innings he’s allowed just four earned runs (1.02 ERA) while walking just eight batters and striking out 33.
While teams haven’t been as stingy with sending lefties to the mound against Suarez as they have Lodolo, they still try to avoid it as much as they can. And they’re doing so for good reason – they can’t hit him at all. Right-handed hitters find more success, but they aren’t exactly doing a ton, either. They hit for an ok-ish average against him, and have an ok-ish on-base percentage, but they don’t hit for much power at all.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 381 | 88 | 19 | 1 | 9 | 37 | 78 | .258 | .331 | .399 |
| LHH | 99 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 19 | .194 | .235 | .280 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Slider | Change | Curve | |
| Velo | 93.3 | 92.6 | 89.3 | 82.1 | 85.2 | 77.0 |
| Usage | 19.1% | 42.6% | 5.7% | 4.7% | 21.8% | 6.0% |
When and Where
- Game time: 7:05pm ET
- Where: Citizens Bank Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv (out of market)
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 84°, cloudy, 5% chance of rain
News and Notes
Graham Ashcraft, Matt Reynolds to the IL
Some not so good news this afternoon as the Reds announced that Graham Ashcraft was heading to the 15-day injured list with biceps soreness and that Matt Reynolds would be joining him as he was placed on the 10-day injured list with left hip pain. The team also called up T.J. Zeuch, Stuart Fairchild, and Chuckie Robinson while optioning Michael Papierski to the minors.
Reds sign Stephen Piscotty
The Cincinnati Reds have picked up big league veteran Stephen Piscotty on a minor league deal. He was released by the Oakland Athletics last week. Over at RedsMinorLeagues.com we have more on the Piscotty signing as well as a whole lot of roster moves that took place on the farm this afternoon if you’re interested in reading any of that.
