Reds at Braves
The Chipper Jones farewell tour hit St. Louis over the weekend, where Jones was greeted with gifts and cheers and the Braves went on to sweep the Cardinals. After a 7-2 road trip, the Braves return to Turner Field for a two-game series with the Reds. The Reds did Atlanta a favor on Sunday by beating the Washington Nationals, scoring six runs in the final two innings to secure a 9-6 triumph and avoid a home sweep. That catapulted the Braves over the Nationals in the NL East.
Cincinnati may finally have gotten star Joey Votto into his power groove. Votto entered Sunday with two homers on the season but tagged three in the win, including a ninth-inning walk-off grand slam. The slugger finished with four hits and a career-high six RBIs and is now up to .319. A game over .500 at 17-16, the Reds are looking for some consistency from their starting rotation. That pitching will get a big test from the Braves, who lead the NL in runs.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSOH (Cincinnati), SPSO (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Homer Bailey (1-3, 4.93 ERA) vs. Braves RH Randall Delgado (2-3, 4.54 ERA)
Bailey is coming off his worst start, a 3 2/3-innings effort at Milwaukee in which he allowed six runs on six hits to absorb the loss. The 26-year-old has allowed 40 hits and issued 13 walks in 34 2/3 innings for a 1.53 WHIP. Bailey has made one career start against the Braves, yielding two runs in six innings to pick up the win.
Delgado has put together back-to-back strong efforts, surrendering a total of three runs in 13 2/3 innings, but has not won since April 17. The 22-year-old Panama native has only made it through six innings in one of his six starts and has never faced the Reds.
WALK-OFFS
1. Jones is a career .297 hitter with 21 homers in 120 games against Cincinnati.
2. Votto has hit .265 with two home runs in 11 games at Turner Field.
3. Cincinnati 2B Brandon Phillips is 1-for-8 over the last two games after recording two hits in four straight.