Arizona Diamondbacks Vs. Cincinnati Reds Series Preview

The D-backs are in Cincinnati for the next three games with both of their aces pitching, they'll look to win their first series in multiple weeks

Apr 20, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws a / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks are fresh off a cathartic victory Sunday afternoon against the San Diego Padres. Today's a travel day for the team as they are in Ohio to take on the Cincinnati Reds. Their three-game series is set to start on Tuesday. Just under a week later, and after a three-day trip to Baltimore, the D-backs will take on the Reds once again at home.

The D-backs are expecting to get two key players back off the Injured List in centerfielder Alek Thomas and closer Paul Sewald. Getting those two players back will certainly provide a boost for the team's morale and help lead to more wins.

The Cincinnati Reds are 16-18 and sit 4.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs who are tied for first in the NL Central. They are 1 game back in the Wild Card standings, behind the Washington Nationals. Meanwhile for the D-backs, they are now 15-20 and sit in third place in the NL West. They are 7.5 games back of the Dodgers and 2.5 games back in the Wild Card race. However, they have five teams ahead of them for that third spot.

The Reds are 2-8 over their last 10 games and have been scuffling. They are just 9-10 at home and have a +4 run differential. The Diamondbacks are not much better as they are just 3-7 over their last 10 games. They have a +7 run differential while being just 6-10 on the road. This is a series that could catapult the D-backs to success or failure depending upon how it turns out. If the D-backs can win the series against the team that has lost five straight by a margin of 28-8, then it would provide plenty of good vibes and momentum.

Offensive Trends

The Reds have been struggling to score the ball, especially at home. They average 4.3 runs at home, but over their last seven home games, they've averaged just 2.43 runs per game. That will not do it, especially in a hitter-friendly stadium such as Great American Ballpark. Those seven games did come against Philadelphia and Baltimore, but neither team trotted out their best starters for the entire series.

For Arizona, it's a similar story as their last nine road games per scoring average are significantly buoyed by two big scoring outbursts in which they scored 31 total runs over two games. In the seven other games, the D-backs averaged just 2.43 runs per game. Albeit, the D-backs faced the teeth of the Mariners and Giants rotation.

The Reds' three best hitters have been scuffling to various degrees as well. Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz is hitting just .245 over his last 15 games, but does have a .822 OPS and nine stolen bases to go with 11 walks, However, he's struck out an unpalatable 20 times.

The versatile Spencer Steer is hitting just .182 with a .543 OPS his last 15 games. He has walked seven times, but has struck out 14 times, with some bad luck on batted balls due to a below-average .220 BABIP. The man with the longest name in baseball, Christian Encarnacion-Strand has been struggling all year. He's been unable to repeat last year, and his last 11 games are no different. He's hit just .200 with a .506 OPS over that span with only two walks against 13 strikeouts. Clearly, the Reds can be struck out if you pitch well.

Tuesday, May 7th, 3:40 PM AZ Time: RHP Zac Gallen vs LHP Frankie Montas

Zac Gallen is returning to the mound for the first time since leaving over a week ago during his start against the Mariners with a hamstring cramp. Thanks to the Bee Delay, the D-backs wanted to give Gallen some extra rest. This will be his first start in 10 days. Gallen is 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA over six starts and 32 innings with 35 strikeouts and nine walks. He has given up eight runs over his last 10 innings and will look to reverse that trend Tuesday night.

Frankie Montas was signed as a free agent to the Reds in hopes of bolstering their rotation despite his injury woes the last couple of years. He started off well before struggling and getting put on the injured list due to a right forearm contusion. It's expected that he'll be activated tomorrow. He is 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA over 19.1 innings and five starts with 10 walks and 14 strikeouts. Montas has been hit hard on his split-finger and cutter, but has done well to prevent contact on his four seamer, slider, and sinker.

Wednesday, May 8th, 3:40 PM AZ Time, LHP Jordan Montgomery vs RHP Graham Ashcraft

Jordan Montgomery is looking to get back on track following his disastrous start against the Dodgers. It's still early on the season for him as this will just be his fourth start, but he's 1-2 with a 5.63 ERA over 16 innings with four walks and eight strikeouts. However, he's already logged two quality starts and it's truly just the six-run outburst over three innings against LA that's sagging his numbers.

Ashcraft started the season poorly but has come alive over his last two starts. During those two games, he's pitched 12.1 innings and given up 12 hits but just one run with two walks and seven strikeouts. On the season, he's 3-1 with a 3.63 ERA over six starts and 34.2 innings with 30 strikeouts, a 1.27 WHIP, and nine walks. He's been hit hard with his cutter and sinker while somehow hitters are batting 1.000 over 10 change-ups that he's thrown. But, his slider has devastated hitters to just a .139 average. The D-backs will have to avoid that slider to have success.

Thursday, May 9th, 10:10 AM AZ Time, RHP Slade Cecconi vs RHP Hunter Greene

Cecconi has helped stabilize the D-backs rotation after Merrill Kelly's injury. While he struggled against the Padres, he kept the D-backs in both of his first two starts with excellent results. His season numbers over three starts are 1-2 with a 4.96 ERA over 16.1 innings with three walks and 15 strikeouts. His first 12 innings, he gave up just three runs with 11 strikeouts. The Padres lit him up for six runs, but a lot of the damage came on pitches that weren't that poorly located. Cecconi has been lethal so far with an xBA of just .179 against him with each of his pitches being hit for under .200 averages. If he can keep this up, the D-backs might have a breakout starter, provided he can continue to pitch deeper into games and last into a third time through the order.

Hunter Greene has been the Reds' best pitcher so far. The flame-throwing right-hander has pitched 19.2 innings over his last three starts with just four runs given up, all of which came in the first start during this span. On the season, he's started seven games and is 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA over 40.1 innings with 16 walks, 47 strikeouts, and 31 hits allowed.

Greene has been nearly unhittable with just a .172 xBA and .266 xSLG against him. His fastball and slider combination are terrific and will be tough for Arizona to handle. However, they can dominate his split finger and will have to work on making him throw that pitch against them.