Reds at Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies won back-to-back contests to put a positive spin on what became a disastrous road trip, a trek that began with four straight losses and featured a season-ending injury to Andrew McCutchen. The Phillies bid for their third consecutive win on Friday when they begin their six-game homestand with the opener of a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds.
Longtime Reds outfielder Jay Bruce has paid immediate dividends with Philadelphia since being acquired from Seattle, going 6-for-11 with five extra-base hits (three homers, two doubles) to go along with seven RBIs and five runs scored in his last three games. Fellow outfielder Adam Haseley made an impact after spending just six games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, driving in the eventual game-winning run with a double in the Phillies' 7-5 victory at San Diego on Wednesday. While Philadelphia has won five of its last six at Citizens Bank Park, Cincinnati has mustered just eight runs while losing three of its last four overall. The Reds had all of five hits in Thursday afternoon's 3-1 setback at St. Louis, with Jesse Winker scoring on a sacrifice fly for the team's lone run.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cincinnati), NBC 10 (Philadelphia)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Tyler Mahle (2-5, 4.26 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Zach Eflin (5-5, 3.02)
Mahle has answered a five-start losing streak by winning two of his last three outings, including a five-inning performance in Friday's 9-3 victory against Washington. The 24-year-old struck out eight batters for the third time in his last five trips to the mound to improve to 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA at home, although his 0-5 mark with a 4.96 ERA in eight road starts leaves plenty to be desired. Sean Rodriguez is 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in a small sample size versus Mahle, who surrendered three runs on six hits -- including two homers -- in one inning in his lone appearance against Philadelphia.
Eflin is expected to return from the 10-day injured list on Friday after being sidelined with back tightness. The 25-year-old has struggled since tossing a four-hit shutout against Kansas City on May 11, going 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA. Eflin, who was taken deep twice in 3 2/3 innings of a 9-1 setback at Milwaukee on May 26, has received mixed results versus Joey Votto (3-for-5) and Derek Dietrich (0-for-6, two strikeouts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Cincinnati rookie 3B Nick Senzel has eight extra-base hits in his last 10 games.
2. Philadelphia RF Bryce Harper has recorded multi-hit performances in six of his last nine contests.
3. The Phillies outscored the Reds by a 16-9 margin to sweep all three games at Citizens Bank Park last season.