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Series Preview: Phillies at Reds 6/28-6/30


Philadelphia is back on a pace that made them a National League force over the past few seasons after winning 8 of their past 11 games. The Phillies (40-33), who are in third place in the NL East, hope to continue their serge against the Reds (42-34), who have led the NL Central division much of the season.

The 3-game series starts Monday, as the Phils send righty Kyle Kendrick to the mound. The hosting Reds will counter with Johnny Cueto.

Read on for details on the pitching match ups and other key info from this series.


Monday, 7:10pm. Kyle Kendrick (4-2, 4.71 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (7-2, 3.97 ERA). In 3 career starts against the Reds, Kendrick is 3-0 with a 6.61 ERA. Kendrick has posted a 3.19 ERA in his last 6 games. In 8 games on the road this season, Kendrick is 2-0 with a 3.20 ERA. Kendrick is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in his last 4 road outings. Brandon Phillips is 4-for-8 (.500 avg) against Kendrick in his career. In 2 career starts against the Phils, Cueto is 0-2 with a 15.26 ERA. Cueto has posted a 5.46 ERA over his last 5 starts. Lefties are batting .217 against the righty hurler Cueto, while right-handed batters are hitting .287 against him.

Tuesday, 7:10pm. Joe Blanton (3-5, 6.53 ERA) vs. Mike Leake (5-1, 2.92 ERA). Blanton has a 2-0 record and a 4.15 ERA in 2 career starts against the Reds. On the road this season, Blanton is 1-3 with a 9.27 ERA in 4 starts. Leake is 3-1 with a 3.67 ERA through 9 home starts this year. Leake has posted a 6.06 ERA over his last 3 starts. Leake was the Reds' first round draft pick in the 2009 draft.

Wednesday, 12:35pm. Roy Halladay (9-6, 2.29 ERA) vs. Aaron Harang (6-7, 5.07 ERA). Halladay is 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA in 2 starts against the Reds. In 7 day starts this year, Halladay is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA. In 10 home starts this year, Harang is 5-4 with a 4.79 ERA. Placido Polanco is 5-for-10 (.500 avg) against Harang in his career.


In 35 career games against the Reds, Ryan Howard is a .277 hitter with a 1.065 OPS. Howard has hit safely in 21 of 23 games played this month.

Chase Utley is batting just .235 in 38 road games this year, with a .664 OPS. Utley is 14-for-35 (.400 avg) with 11 RBI over his last 9 games.

In 10 career appearances against the Phillies, Reds closer Francisco Cordero is 1-0 with 5 saves, 1 blown save, a 0.84 ERA and a .083 batting average against. Ross Gload, Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are a combined 0-for-14 against Cordero.

Scott Rolen is a career .347 hitter against the Phillies in 40 games. In his last 6 home games, Rolen is 3-for-19 (.158 avg). Rolen is just 1-for-12 (.083 avg) against Brad Lidge.

In 11 games against the Phillies, Joey Votto is a .211 hitter with a .539 OPS.

Phillies team ERA- 3.95.
Reds team ERA- 4.40.

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