Phillies at Reds
The Philadelphia Phillies made a move to shore up one of their weaknesses for the stretch run, swinging a trade with the New York Mets to add "more offense in the infield." Second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera is expected to join the Phillies on Saturday when the National League East leaders continue their four-game series against the host Cincinnati Reds.
Cabrera was batting .277 with 18 homers and 58 RBIs with New York and has a great track record in 24 games at Citizens Bank Park, batting .387 with an OPS of 1.053 - his highest at any stadium. “I would expect that we’ll see him at times at second, short, and third,” Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. “When he’s not playing, I think he’ll be a very dangerous bat off the bench." Cincinnati rebounded from a 9-4 setback in the series opener with a 6-4 victory Friday as third baseman Eugenio Suarez matched a franchise record by homering for the fifth consecutive game. Mason Williams, called up from Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, made his first hit with the Reds a memorable one by clubbing a three-run homer.
TV: 6:40 p.m. ET, NBC 10 (Philadelphia), FS Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Vince Velasquez (7-8, 4.05 ERA) vs. Reds RH Matt Harvey (5-6, 5.21)
Velasquez notched two victories in a three-day span over the past week, blanking San Diego on two hits over seven innings on Sunday before pitching the 16th inning two days later in a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He closed out the first half by shutting out the New York Mets on two hits over six innings and has a 14-inning scoreless streak. Velasquez, who has never faced the Reds, has a 2.42 road ERA this season.
Harvey's unbeaten streak ended with a thud when he was shelled for a season-high eight runs and served up four homers in 3 2/3 innings in a loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. He was 4-0 in his previous five turns, allowing a combined six earned runs while also not surrendering a home run. Harvey is 7-3 with a 2.86 ERA against the Phillies, including five scoreless innings of one-hit ball on April 3 when he was still with the Mets.
WALK-OFFS
1. Reds LH Amir Garrett is day-to-day after suffering a mild left Achilles’ strain in Friday's game.
2. Phillies LF Rhys Hopkins is 12-for-31 with six homers and 11 RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak.
3. Reds 1B Joey Votto received his 136th intentional walk Friday, surpassing Johnny Bench for the franchise record.