Reds at Phillies
The Jay Bruce acquisition has paid immediate and impressive dividends for the Philadelphia Phillies, who aim to win their fourth straight game when they play the second game of a three-game series with the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. Bruce has four home runs over his last three games, including a go-ahead two-run shot in Friday's 4-2 win.
The veteran slugger and former Red is 7-for-14 with nine RBIs in four games since arriving in a trade with Seattle. J.T. Realmuto chipped in a pair of hits and scored a run in the win for the Phillies, who have won four straight against the Reds at home. Cincinnati received a first-inning solo blast from Joey Votto on Friday before Zach Eflin and three relievers closed the door for the hosts. Philadelphia will try to clinch its third straight series win at home when it gives the ball to right-hander Nick Pivetta on Saturday opposite Tanner Roark for the Reds.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cincinnati), NBCS Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Tanner Roark (4-4, 3.47 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Nick Pivetta (3-1, 6.14)
After posting a 2.28 ERA in five May starts, Roark opened June by giving up four runs in six innings in a loss to Washington last Saturday. The 32-year-old has tossed 11 scoreless innings over his last two road starts. Realmuto is 13-for-29 with two doubles and six RBIs against Roark, who is 3-6 with a 5.30 ERA in his career at Citizens Bank Park.
After giving up three runs in the first inning against St. Louis two turns ago upon returning from the minors, Pivetta has recorded 10 consecutive scoreless frames. Six of them came in a dominant outing at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, when the 26-year-old struck out nine while yielding three hits. Pivetta is 0-1 with a 4.85 ERA in two career starts against the Reds while notching 19 strikeouts in 13 innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Bruce has 11 home runs in 39 career games at Citizens Bank Park.
2. Phillies 3B Maikel Franco is 2-for-22 over his last 10 games.
3. Votto has 1,782 career hits, two shy of matching Edd Roush for seventh on Cincinnati's all-time list.