Cincinnati @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 5, 2010 ) Cincinnati 5, Washington 1
The highest-scoring offense in the National League is doing its part to keep the Cincinnati Reds in the race, and the pitching is starting to come around as well.
The Reds will be looking to keep piling up the runs today when they face the Washington Nationals in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Buoyed by Joey Votto and Scott Rolen for most of the season, Cincinnati is starting to get consistent production from the rest of its lineup, with Orlando Cabrera, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce each chipping in an RBI in Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Nationals.
Mike Leake even got into the act, boosting his season average to .417 with two hits and a run scored. That was in addition to seven strong innings in which the rookie right-hander allowed an unearned run and seven hits while striking out five. Arthur Rhodes and Francisco Cordero followed with a scoreless inning apiece to close it out.
The win kept the Reds one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat the Milwaukee Brewers in extra innings on Saturday.
Cincinnati has a chance to make up some ground over the next week or two as they head back home after today’s finale for four games against the San Francisco Giants and three against the Kansas City Royals.
Washington, meanwhile, is dealing with the build-up to the future, as the fans await the arrival of top prospect Stephen Strasburg on Tuesday. The Nationals originally floated the idea of breaking Strasburg in during the series with Cincinnati, leading to larger-than-normal crowds for the last few games.
Bronson Arroyo will get the call for Cincinnati in the finale. The veteran right-hander will be looking to bounce back from a seven-run beating he took at the hands of the Cardinals on Monday. The dud snapped a four-game winning streak for Arroyo.
Arroyo issued a season-high five walks against the Cardinals while allowing 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Arroyo has been a bit of a mystery this season, allowing two runs or less five times and four runs or more in each of his other six starts.
He has been sharp in his career against the Nationals, owning a 3-1 mark with a 3.38 ERA in six outings.
Washington will counter with right-hander Craig Stammen. The 26-year-old sophomore is 0-2 in his last eight starts, last earning a win with an eight-inning effort against Colorado on April 19. Stammen got knocked around by the lowly Houston Astros last Tuesday, allowing five runs on nine hits in five innings.