Photo: Redleg Nation Staff
Cincinnati has lost both of the games played thus far in this 4-game series against Arizona. Tonight they’ll look to turn things around against Zach Davies as he comes off of the injured list to make his first start for the Diamondbacks in a month. First pitch is set for 8:10pm ET. The game, and all MLB games today, are free through MLB.tv (out of market).
Starting Lineups
Starting Pitchers
Fernando Cruz
It looks like the Reds will be going with some type of bullpen day, giving Fernando Cruz the start. He got two such starts in 2022 for the Reds in September and threw 1.2 perfect innings in each appearance. Cruz does better against righties than lefties, holding them to a lower average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage while also walking fewer of them and striking them out more often. Lefties don’t do a ton against him, but they do walk quite often and hit better than righties do.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 122 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 43 | .189 | .248 | .333 |
| LHH | 98 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 31 | .244 | .357 | .390 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | Slider | Split | |
| Velo | 94.3 | 87.3 | 81.5 |
| Usage | 34% | 30% | 35% |
Zach Davies
It’s been over a month since Davies pitched in the big leagues as he’s spent time on the injured list. He’s made three starts in Triple-A on a rehab assignment and is set to come off of the injured list tonight.
The lefty and righty splits aren’t that big for Davies. Left-handed hitters hit for a higher average and that 29 point difference carries forward in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Lefties make more contact – but both lefties and righties make plenty of contact.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 113 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 24 | .273 | .339 | .444 |
| LHH | 146 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 22 | .302 | .377 | .465 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Cutter | Curve | Change | |
| Velo | 89.7 | 89.8 | 87.7 | 77.2 | 81.1 |
| Usage | 16% | 40% | 11% | 7% | 26% |
When and Where
- Game time: 8:10pm ET
- Where: Chase Field
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv (out of market)
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: They play in a dome
News and Notes
Ben Lively activated
The Reds, needing a starting pitcher, activated Ben Lively today but he is not starting. We’ll see if he gets in the game and if so, how long he’ll pitch for.
Stuart Fairchild sent to rehab in Triple-A
Still on the concussion list, Stuart Fairchild is with Louisville today to rehab.
Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Brewers | 71 | 57 | 0.0 | 94.7% |
| Cubs | 67 | 61 | 4.0 | 54.9% |
| Reds | 67 | 63 | 5.0 | 22.3% |
| Pirates | 58 | 71 | 13.5 | 0.0% |
| Cardinals | 56 | 73 | 15.5 | 0.0% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
