Colorado @ Cincinnati preview

Colorado at Cincinnati

Last Meeting ( Mar 18, 2013 ) Cincinnati 4, Colorado 3

The Cincinnati Reds face the possibility of not having Brandon Phillips for an entire series as the team hosts the Colorado Rockies for the first of three games on Monday. Manager Dusty Baker told reporters on Sunday he expects to be without his cleanup hitter for three to four days after he was struck in the left forearm with a pitch Saturday. Without Phillips in the lineup, the Reds lost 5-4 in 11 innings Sunday to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Rockies won the final two games of their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting four homers in Sunday’s 7-2 victory. Dexter Fowler recorded his third career two-homer game while Todd Helton and Michael Cuddyer also went deep for the Rockies, who have hit 73 home runs this season – second in the National League behind the Atlanta Braves’ 75. Cuddyer is swinging a hot bat since coming off the disabled list on May 24, going 16-for-36 in nine starts.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), Fox Sports Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Tyler Chatwood (3-0, 2.12 ERA) vs. Reds RH Bronson Arroyo (5-5, 3.75)

Chatwood pitched well enough to earn his fourth win in as many starts, but failed to factor in the decision after his bullpen gave up four runs over the final two innings of Wednesday’s 6-3 setback to the Houston Astros. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed two runs and four hits over six innings and struck out a career-high 10. Chatwood hasn’t permitted a run in either of his two road outings and will face the Reds for the first time in his career.

Arroyo saw his three-start winning streak stopped in Wednesday’s 5-2 road loss against the Cleveland Indians. The 36-year-old yielded five runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings, marking only the second time this season he failed to complete six frames. Arroyo is 2-1 with a 3.89 ERA in five career home starts against Colorado, but is just 3-3 with a 4.98 ERA in 12 all-time appearances (10 starts) against the Rockies.

WALK-OFFS

1. Chatwood is 5-for-12 with four RBIs at the plate this season. His .417 batting average is the second highest for a pitcher with at least 10 at-bats while his RBI total is good for third among all hurlers.

2. Reds CF Shin-Soo Choo has been hit by a pitch a major league-high 17 times. By comparison, 16 teams have recorded 17 or fewer.

3. Fowler, who homered for the first time since April 29 on Sunday, has reached base safely at least twice in each of his last nine games.

PREDICTION: Reds 5, Rockies 4