Cincinnati @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Oct 6, 2010 ) Cincinnati 0, Philadelphia 4
The best offensive team in the National League is bound to do more at the plate than it did in its playoff opener.
That still leaves Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt plenty of margin for error when he takes on the Cincinnati Reds in Game 2 of the NL Division Series on Friday at Citizens Bank Park.
Oswalt takes the mound trying to follow the lead of Phillies ace Roy Halladay, who threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in Wednesday's opener, allowing only one walk in a 4-0 victory.
Oswalt, who went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) after the Phillies acquired him from Houston on July 29, isn't likely to match that feat - two days would be an awfully quick turnaround for an accomplishment that went unmatched in the postseason for 54 years between Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series and Halladay's gem - but the Phillies hope he can approach it.
If Oswalt was going to toss a gem against any opponent, it would likely be the Reds. He is 23-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 34 career appearances against Cincinnati, though he is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in two starts against the Reds this year.
No matter who is pitching for the Phillies, they seem to shut down the Reds, who haven't scored in its last 30 innings against Philadelphia. The Phillies won a pair of 1-0 games to finish off a four-game sweep in July, and Halladay extended the scoreless streak by nine innings Wednesday.
It seems unlikely the Reds' bats will stay quiet for long. They led the NL in runs (790), batting average (.278) and home runs (188) and were shut out only 13 times all season.
The Reds hope to scratch across enough to give 33-year-old right-hander Bronson Arroyo a chance to even the series today.
Arroyo set a career high for wins this season, going 17-10 with a 3.88 ERA in 33 starts, and the Reds desperately need him to add to that total. Arroyo is 1-5 with a 5.54 in eight appearances (seven starts) against the Phillies, but he hasn't faced them since 2008.
The Reds could use a deep outing from Arroyo after taxing their bullpen in Game 1. Starter Edinson Volquez lasted only 1 2/3 innings in the opener, but Travis Wood, Logan Ondrusek and Bill Bray combined for 6 1/3 innings of one-hit relief.
Shane Victorino had two of Philadelphia's five hits in Game 1, driving in two runs and scoring another. Victorino has hit .354 with 11 RBIs in 13 NLDS games.
The Phillies hope to get third baseman Placido Polanco back in the lineup for Game 2 after he missed the opener with a sore back. Polanco, who hit .298 with 76 runs and 52 RBIs this season, is 6-for-17 against Arroyo.