San Francisco @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 30, 2011 ) San Francisco 2, Cincinnati 7
THE STORY: The Cincinnati Reds haven’t swept a series since mid-June. It has been a lot longer since they’ve won three straight against the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Johnny Cueto takes the hill Sunday as the Reds seek to sweep the visiting Giants for the first time in nearly three years. The Reds scored five times in the first inning of a 7-2 victory Saturday.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cincinnati), CS Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Johnny Cueto (6-4, 1.88 ERA) vs. Giants LH Barry Zito (3-3, 5.24).
Cueto is 1-2 over his last six starts despite a 2.14 ERA in that span. The diminutive righthander had a strange outing Tuesday. He allowed six runs - all unearned - and seven hits in five innings of an 8-6 loss to the Mets. Cueto was let down by his defense, which committed three errors. Carlos Beltran, the newest member of the Giants, is 3-for-8 with a homer and four RBIs against Cueto. This could be the last chance for Zito, who may be removed from the rotation when Jonathan Sanchez returns from the disabled list Aug. 5. The lefthander is 0-2 with an 11.87 ERA over his last two starts. He was skipped the last time around and there was speculation he wouldn't start against the Reds, either. Brandon Phillips is 5-for-13 against Zito and Jay Bruce is 3-for-6 with a homer against him.
ABOUT THE REDS (52-55): Cincinnati, which is a dismal 10-15 in July, is seeking to win three straight for the first time since sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers from June 13-15. It would be the Reds’ first three-game sweep of the Giants since August 29-31, 2008. Joey Votto homered in three straight games from July 26-28. He has never homered in four straight contests. The Reds are 6½ games behind Milwaukee in the National League Central, but general manager Walt Jocketty is optimistic. "We're still within striking distance," he said. "We've fallen off some, but we still have a lot games left with the division leaders.”
ABOUT THE GIANTS (61-46): San Francisco is on the verge of losing three straight for the first time since July 3-6. It is only been three games, but Beltran has yet to provide the Giants with the offensive boost they were expecting. The switch-hitting six-time All-Star is 1-for-14 with six strikeouts since being acquired from the New York Mets. Pablo Sandoval has stepped up his production lately. He is hitting .421 (8-for-19) with two homers in the last four games. Sanchez, who has been out since June 25 with biceps tendinitis, is expected to start Aug. 5 against Philadelphia. The Giants added depth by acquiring Orlando Cabrera from the Cleveland Indians on Saturday. Cabrera will take over at shortstop at least until Miguel Tejada returns from the disabled list. Tejada has a lower abdominal strain.
FINAL PITCH: Reds reliever Aroldis Chapman has retired 25 of the last 26 hitters and hasn’t allowed a hit in 8 2/3 innings. It is the longest single-season stretch by a Reds reliever since 1994 Chuck McElroy (11 1/3 innings), according to Elias Sports Bureau.