Phillies minus $1.24 at Reds
By Stephen Nover
Ever been in a situation where you know your place of employment doesn’t want you anymore, yet you still have to work one more day?
It’s a tough spot mentally and it’s what Matt Harvey likely is dealing with today.
The Reds are expected to deal Harvey before his next start. So you have to wonder about Harvey’s state of mind. Maybe he reacts well, maybe he doesn’t. But what we do know is Harvey hasn’t been good in three years robbed of his great potential by serious elbow and shoulder injuries.
Harvey has a 5.21 ERA this season. It was 6.70 last year. Clearly he’s not the same pitcher. The Phillies are swinging hot bats. If you discount a two-run game against the Padres six days ago, they are averaging 6.7 runs in their last eight games. They have fortified their lineup trading for Asdrubal Cabrera, who already has 18 homers this year.
The Reds’ bullpen is down setup man Amir Garrett, who left yesterday’s Reds’ win with an Achilles’ strain. Cincinnati closer Raisel Iglesias threw 25 pitches Friday night. So he carries a fatigue rating.
Phillies starter Vince Velasquez is pitching his best ball with a 2.38 ERA in his last six starts. Opponents are batting just .134 against him during this time frame. The Phillies have a deep and underrated bullpen. They also have shown an excellent ability to bounce back winning 36 of the last 53 times following a loss.
(Editor’s note: Stephen has his July Baseball Game of the Month going today in addition to this free selection. Stephen won his Canadian Football League Game of the Month two days ago. If you’re interested in his sports service, or proxy service for the Westgate football contest, please message him.)
