Reds vs. Phillies Preview
Philadelphia, PA (AP) – The last time Roy Halladay faced the Cincinnati Reds, he tossed the second no-hitter in postseason history.
Travis Wood nearly made history of his own in his last start against Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies.
The pitchers duel again when Philadelphia looks to bounce back against visiting Cincinnati on Wednesday night.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Bodog.com have made the Phillies –189 money line favorites for Wednesday’s game against the Reds. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 96% of more than 213 bets for this game have been placed on the Phillies -189.
Halladay (6-3, 2.21 ERA) dominated Game 1 of the NL division series Oct. 6, yielding only a fifth-inning walk to Jay Bruce while striking out 10. Prior to Halladay’s gem, the only pitcher to hurl a no-hitter in postseason play was the New York Yankees’ Don Larsen, who threw a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
Three months before Halladay accomplished the rare feat, he allowed five hits through nine scoreless innings against the Reds on July 10. However, it was Wood (3-3, 5.17) who stole the show in that contest.
Wood took a perfect game into the ninth before Carlos Ruiz doubled to lead off the inning. The left-hander finished with eight strikeouts, though the Cincinnati offense offered no support and the game went into extra innings. Jimmy Rollins drove in Ruiz in the 11th to give Philadelphia a 1-0 win.
Wood also pitched during Halladay’s playoff no-hitter, throwing 3 1-3 scoreless innings of relief in the 4-0 loss. He’s struggled at times this season and will look to get back on track after allowing four runs in 5 1-3 innings while not receiving a decision in a 5-4 loss to Cleveland last Wednesday.
Halladay ended a two-start skid Friday, giving up two runs in eight innings of a 3-2 victory against Texas. The right-hander leads the majors with 80 strikeouts in 77 2-3 innings, the most in the NL.
He’ll look to slow down the Reds (26-23) after they posted a 6-3 victory against the Phillies (29-19) on Tuesday. Cincinnati snapped a six-game losing streak as Bruce broke a ninth-inning tie with a three-run double, capping the comeback after being down 3-1 in the fourth.
The Reds also snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Phillies, which included being swept in the NLDS.
“We missed some opportunities early and I was afraid that would come back and haunt us,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “This was a big game for us. We really needed this one.”
Bruce extended his hitting streak to six games and is 12 for 23 (.522) with four home runs and nine RBIs during that stretch. His 12 homers are tied with Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun for the NL lead.
“Coming back is kind of our M.O.,” Bruce said. “We’re never out of a game. The experience has helped us.”
Despite seemingly breaking through with 10 runs Monday, the Phillies’ offense struggled again Tuesday. Philadelphia went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and scored three runs or less for the 10th time in 11 games.
Chase Utley singled for his first hit since coming off the disabled list Monday, and he’s 1 for 9 after missing the first 46 games with a knee injury.
“We just couldn’t get a hit at the right time,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
Prior to Tuesday, the Reds had lost nine straight in Philadelphia.
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