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Following a rough sweep for the Arizona Diamondbacks this past week, the club will head to Cincinnati to take on the Reds for a four-game series. The Reds currently hold a half-game lead in the NL Central and have the talent to make a run in the playoffs should they make it.
Cincinnati is led by Joey Votto, who might just be the best pure hitter in the world. He's hitting .339 with an incredible OPS of 1.062. Perhaps the coolest stat about him: entering Sunday, he has as many unintentional walks (65) as he does strikeouts.
Other than Votto, second baseman Brandon Phillips continues to be a very solid hitter and is a wizard in the field. Jay Bruce continues to come into his own, and he leads the team in homers (18) and runs batted in (58). Third baseman Todd Frazier has been a pleasant surprise for manager Dusty Baker all season long and is currently hitting .279/.348/.568.
Despite all of these impressive individual statistics, the Reds still rank 8th in the National League (16 teams) in terms of runs scored, and that's even with them playing in a hitter's paradise at Great American Ballpark.
Pitching Matchups & Start Times:
Monday, 7:10 p.m. ET - Wade Miley (9-5, 3.04 ERA) vs. Bronson Arroyo (4-5, 3.73 ERA)
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. ET - Trevor Bauer (1-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (10-5, 2.39 ERA)
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. ET - Ian Kennedy (6-8, 4.55 ERA) vs. Mat Latos (7-2, 4.10 ERA)
Thursday, 12:35 p.m. ET - Joe Saunders (4-6, 3.52 ERA) vs. Mike Leake (3-6, 3.96 ERA)
For more on the D-backs, check out AZ Snake Pit. For updates on the Reds head over to Red Reporter. For all-things baseball all year long, visit Baseball Nation.