Philadelphia @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 23, 2012 ) Cincinnati 3, Philadelphia 4
Johnny Cueto vies for his major league-best 18th victory Monday, when the Cincinnati Reds host the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of their three-game series. Cueto, who also leads the majors with a 2.48 ERA, enters tied with Washington's Gio Gonzalez, Tampa Bay's David Price and R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets at 17 wins. The National League Central-leading Reds return to Great American Ball Park for a nine-game homestand following a 5-1 road trip that concluded with Sunday's 5-3 triumph at Houston.
Cincinnati, which owns a comfortable 9 1/2-game division lead over St. Louis, faces a Philadelphia team that suffered a crushing 8-7 defeat at Atlanta on Sunday. The Phillies, whose playoff chances already were slim, remained eight games out of a wild-card spot as the Braves rallied for five runs in the ninth inning to avoid being swept in the three-game series. Despite the loss, Philadelphia has won seven of its last 10, a stretch that began with a home triumph over the Reds on Aug. 23.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Tyler Cloyd (0-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Reds RH Johnny Cueto (17-6, 2.48)
Cloyd will be making his second career start. The 25-year-old took the loss in his major-league debut against the New York Mets on Wednesday, allowing three runs and seven hits in six innings. Cloyd settled down after a shaky start, retiring nine of the final 10 batters he faced.
Cueto registered his third straight victory at Arizona on Tuesday, when he allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings. The 26-year-old Dominican has won eight of his last nine decisions, yielding three runs or fewer eight times in that span. Cueto, who is 9-1 with a 2.26 ERA in 11 home starts, has gone 1-2 in six career outings against Philadelphia.
WALK-OFFS
1. Phillies OF Domonic Brown was kept out of the starting lineup for the seventh time in eight games Sunday due to a sore left knee.
2. Cincinnati 1B Joey Votto may be activated from the disabled list Monday if he deems himself ready. Votto has been sidelined since July 16 with a knee injury that required surgery.
3. Philadelphia has won five consecutive games at Great American Ball Park, including Game Three of the NL Division Series.