Phillies at Reds
A pair of pitchers toe the rubber for their respective debuts Thursday afternoon when the Philadelphia Phillies visit the Cincinnati Reds. The Phillies won the season opener 4-3 on Monday before the Reds drew even Wednesday with a 2-0 triumph.
Thursday's rubber game will pit Philadelphia newcomer Clay Buchholz against Cincinnati's appropriately named pitcher Rookie Davis, who will be making his major league debut. Buchholz, who pitched the first 10 seasons of his career for Boston, was demoted to the bullpen last season as part of a disappointing campaign. Davis, who came into camp as a long shot to make the roster, impressed the team with a 4.02 ERA and improved control in exhibition action. He will look to continue the team's strong starting pitching after Brandon Finnegan and two relievers combined for a four-hitter on Wednesday.
TV: 12:35 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Clay Buchholz (2016: 8-10, 4.78 ERA) vs. Reds RH Rookie Davis (N/A)
Buchholz was dealt to Philadelphia in the offseason after failing to reach double-digit victories for a third straight season and posting his second-worst ERA since 2008. The only member of the Reds who has ever faced Buchholz is Scooter Gennett, who has struck out and delivered a two-run double in two lifetime at-bats against him. Last season, Buchholz was 3-9 with a 5.91 ERA before the All-Star break and 5-1 with a 3.22 ERA in the second half of the season.
Davis posted a 3.82 ERA last season while pitching for the Reds' affiliates in Double-A and Triple-A. He is not a strikeout pitcher (77 in 125 innings in 2016), although he posted an impressive 17-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio this spring. Davis, a 14th-round pick of the Yankees in 2011, originally came to Cincinnati in the trade that sent star closer Aroldis Chapman to New York.
WALK-OFFS
1. There were nine total hits in Wednesday's game, two of which came off the bat of Reds SS Zack Cozart.
2. Phillies 1B Tommy Joseph is 0-for-8 with five strikeouts this season.
3. Philadelphia is 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position so far.