Pivetta expected to start for Philadelphia against Cincinnati
Cincinnati Reds (28-34, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (36-27, first in the NL East)
Philadelphia; Saturday, 4 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Tanner Roark (4-4, 3.47 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 65 strikeouts) Phillies: Nick Pivetta (3-1, 6.14 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 31 strikeouts)
LINE: Phillies favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Philadelphia and Cincinnati will face off at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday.
The Phillies are 21-11 on their home turf. The Philadelphia pitching staff averages 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings, Aaron Nola leads them with a mark of 10.2.
The Reds are 13-19 in road games. Cincinnati has a team on-base percentage of .299, led by Derek Dietrich with a mark of .356. The Phillies won the last meeting 4-2. Zach Eflin earned his sixth victory and Jay Bruce went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs for Philadelphia. Tyler Mahle took his sixth loss for Cincinnati.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bruce leads the Phillies with 18 home runs and has 37 RBIs. Maikel Franco is 2-for-19 with two home runs and two RBIs over the last 10 games for Philadelphia.
Eugenio Suarez leads the Reds with 27 extra base hits and is batting .271. Dietrich is 9-for-29 with a double, four home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Cincinnati.
LAST 10 GAMES: Phillies: 5-5, .236 batting average, 4.80 ERA, outscored by five runs
Reds: 4-6, .257 batting average, 4.09 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs
Phillies Injuries: David Robertson: 60-day IL (elbow), Edubray Ramos: 10-day IL (biceps), Pat Neshek: 10-day IL (shoulder), Adam Morgan: 10-day IL (forearm), Tommy Hunter: 60-day IL (arm), Seranthony Dominguez: 10-day IL (elbow), Victor Arano: 60-day IL (elbow), Roman Quinn: 10-day IL (groin), Andrew McCutchen: 10-day IL (knee).
Reds Injuries: Alex Wood: 60-day IL (back), Robert Stephenson: 10-day IL (neck), Scooter Gennett: 60-day IL (groin), Alex Blandino: 10-day IL (knee).
