Philadelphia @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 29, 2010 ) Philadelphia 9, Cincinnati 6
A hangnail here or there and the Philadelphia Phillies can field an impressive lineup with their stars who currently reside on the disabled list.
In total, seven Phillies are watching from the not-so-cheap seats - with four-time All-Star second baseman Chase Utley and veteran infielder Placido Polanco the latest to pull up lame.
Utley injured his right thumb trying to stretch a single into a double during Monday's game, while Polanco has been plagued by a nagging elbow injury for nearly a week. The team is uncertain how long they will be sidelined.
Considering that catcher Carlos Ruiz (concussion) is also on the disabled list, one doesn't have to look far to see some new faces while looking around the diamond.
However, with injury comes opportunity, as backup catcher Brian Schneider and utility infielder Wilson Valdez both blasted three-run homers in the Phillies' 9-6 victory in 10 innings over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.
Playing in his first game at second base this season, Valdez also drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the 10th inning.
Speaking of the No. 10, Philadelphia (41-34) will look for its 10th victory in 14 outings when it attempts to win this three-game series this afternoon with ace Roy Halladay (9-6, 2.29 ERA) on the mound.
The 33-year-old right-hander bounced back from a pair of sluggish starts by tossing seven shutout innings on Friday against his former team, the Toronto Blue Jays. The effort snapped a three-game skid for Halladay, who is 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA in two career starts against the Reds.
Cincinnati (43-35) will counter with Aaron Harang (6-7, 5.07 ERA), who benefited from some offense in his last outing.
After getting blanked in Harang's previous two starts, the Reds erupted for 10 runs and the 32-year-old right-hander cruised through seven innings, allowing three runs and eight hits to secure the victory.
On Tuesday, Cincinnati's offense nearly took too long to get untracked. Joey Votto belted a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth to help the Reds erase a five-run deficit.
Ramon Hernandez had a two-run double and Brandon Phillips scored twice for the Reds, who slipped a half-game behind the St. Louis Cardinals atop the NL Central.
Former Phillie Scott Rolen belted a two-run homer - his 300th career - in Monday's 7-3 triumph. The 35-year-old Rolen was given a day off on Tuesday, but is expected to play in today’s tilt.