Cincinnati Reds Series Preview: Philadelphia Phillies

The Reds hit the road for the first time this season to take on the Phillies.

Austin Elmore | Mar 31, 2024

Mar 30, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) at bat against / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

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SERIES PREVIEW: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

CINCINNATI – The Reds finished off their season opening series with the Washington Nationals on Sunday with a dramatic walk-off win in the bottom of the 9th inning. After Jonathan India battled in a lengthy at-bat to double, Will Benson homered to tie the game, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand walked it off with his first hit of the season on the next pitch.

Now they turn their attention to the Philadelphia Phillies, who started their season 1-2 after dropping their first two games of the season to the Atlanta Braves.

Despite some shaky pitching by the Reds bullpen, they are 2-1 to start the season with 159 games left to play. Let's take a closer look at their series with the Phillies:

THE RALLY REDS ARE BACK#ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/mz7CD0wn30
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 31, 2024

GAME 1

WHERE: Citizens Bank Park

WHEN: Monday, April 1, 6:40 PM

STARTING PITCHERS: Andrew Abbott (CIN), Cristopher Sanchez (PHI)

Reds lefty Andrew Abbott will make his first start of the season on Monday in Philadelphia. Abbott was terrific in his 21 starts with the Reds last season, posting a 3.87 ERA. He had nine quality starts and struck out 120 batters in just 109.1 innings pitched. The 24-year old ran out of gas toward the end of the season, failing to go more than 4 1/3 innings in each of his last four starts. He didn't pitch against Philadelphia.

The Phillies will counter with a lefty of their own in Cristopher Sanchez. The 27-year old started 18 games for Philadelphia last season, posting a 3.44 ERA, the best of his three major league seasons. Sanchez is hard on left handed hitters, allowing just a .133 batting average against lefty batters in 2023.

The Reds faced left-hander Patrick Corbin in game two against the Nationals, and were able to score four times off of him, collecting seven hits in the process and chasing him after just 4 1/3 innings.

GAME 2

WHERE: Citizens Bank Park

WHEN: Tuesday April 2, 6:40 PM

STARTING PITCHERS: Graham Ashcraft (CIN), Spencer Turnbull (PHI)

Another debut for the Reds in game two of this series, as Graham Ashcraft gets the ball for the first time in 2024 . Ashcraft had toe surgery this offseason, and struggled during spring training. Ashcraft posted a 5.52 ERA, allowing 13 hits, nine runs and had 12 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings this spring.

Veteran right hander Spencer Turnbull will start for the Phillies. He spent the last five seasons with Detroit, posting a 7.26 ERA in seven starts with the Tigers in 2023. Turnbull was great this spring, pitching eight innings, striking out 12, allowing just two runs.

GAME 3

WHERE: Citizens Bank Park

WHEN: Wednesday April 3, 1:05 PM

STARTING PITCHERS: Frankie Montas (CIN), Zack Wheeler (PHI)

It’s a battle of the aces on getaway day Wednesday. Both of these pitchers started on Opening Day, with Montas being brilliant in six scoreless frames against the Nationals. He allowed four hits and had four strikeouts in his Reds debut. He didn't issue a walk. He last faced the Phillies almost two years ago to the date, when he gave up five runs in five innings as a member of the Oakland Athletics.

Wheeler was equally as impressive on Opening Day against the star-studded Atlanta Braves lineup. He pitched six scoreless himself, giving up just five hits and also did not walk a batter.

Last April, Wheeler faced the Reds in Philadelphia as well. He lasted 5 1/3 innings and surrendered two runs on five hits in a 5-2 Phillies win. In that game, Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson doubled off of Wheeler.

WHAT ELSE?

The weather in Philadelphia is going to be rough. As of now, the forecast calls for wet, rainy, and cold conditions all three days the Reds are in town. The high temperature for Monday is 56, which is the highest forecasted temperature for the entire series. Coming off of nearly perfect weather in Cincinnati, this will provide a challenge for the Reds.

In 2023, the Reds were 3-4 against the Phillies with a run differential of -1. The entire season series, all seven games, was completed in the first two and a half weeks of the season. The Reds had a 13-0 win at Great American Ball Park, and lost 3-2 on a walkoff after Alexis Diaz failed to put away the Phillies in the 9th inning.

The Reds follow this series in Philly with their second off day of the year on Thursday, April 4. After that, they return to Great American Ball Park for a seven game homestand, featuring three games against the Mets, and the first series against an National League Central opponent, a four game set against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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