Philadelphia @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2012 ) Philadelphia 4, Cincinnati 2

Jimmy Rollins will go down as a Philadelphia Phillies star no matter what he does the remainder of his career. But the veteran shortstop can join even more
exclusive company Tuesday as he leads the Phillies into the second of a three-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati. Rollins had the key hit in Monday's opener, a three-run homer in the fifth inning that gave him 1,999 hits for his career. A hit Tuesday would make him the fourth player in Phillies history to reach the 2,000-hit plateau.

Rollins will try to hit the mark against Reds hurler Mat Latos, who has been solid since the All-Star break but isn't getting the wins to show for it. Latos will be opposed by Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick, who comes in riding the hottest stretch of his career. Cincinnati enters the day with an 8 1/2-game advantage atop the National League Central, the largest edge of any of the six division leaders. The Phillies are five games below the .500 mark and are essentially playing out the string.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CS Philadelphia, FS Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Kyle Kendrick (8-9, 4.01 ERA) vs. Reds RH Mat Latos (11-4, 3.79)

Kendrick has reeled off four straight victories to salvage what had been shaping up to be a dismal season. He was solid in his last outing, limiting the New York Mets to two run on seven hits over 7 2/3 innings. The 28-year-old has surrendered only four earned runs over his previous four starts, lowering his ERA by 0.85 over that span. Kendrick has made six appearances (five starts) against Philadelphia, going 3-1 with a 5.40 ERA.

Latos finally earned his 11th win of the season last time out, holding Arizona to two runs over seven innings to prevail on his fifth attempt. The towering right-hander has a second-half ERA nearly a full point lower than his first-half showing, and will be counted upon to be one of the Reds' go-to pitchers if they do as expected and reach the postseason. He is still looking for his first win over the Phillies, owning a career 0-2 mark in four starts against them.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn and Ed Delahanty are the only three Phillies players to amass 2,000 hits.

2. The Reds are the only team in the majors with a magic number below 20. Any combination of Cincinnati wins and St. Louis losses equaling 19 will secure the Reds a playoff spot.

3. Rollins is 4-for-8 with two walks in his career against Latos.