The Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks open a three-game series Friday night at Great American Ball Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. It is the kind of matchup that still draws attention even with both teams hovering around.500.
Nick Lodolo gets the ball for Cincinnati. The left-hander is 2-1 with a 5.51 ERA as the Reds try to steady a season that has them at 32-35 and fifth in the NL Central.
Arizona counters with Eduardo Rodriguez, who is 5-2 with a 2.52 ERA. The Diamondbacks arrive at 34-34 and third in the NL West, a record that keeps this opener from feeling like a throwaway game despite the standings separating the clubs only slightly.
Friday’s game also arrives with both dugouts thinned by injuries. Cincinnati is without Jose Trevino and Elly De La Cruz, both on the 10-day injured list with hamstring injuries, along with Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list with a back injury. Emilio Pagan and Pierce Johnson are on the 15-day injured list, while Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft and Brandon Williamson are all on the 60-day injured list.
Arizona has its own list of absences, including Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring injury and James McCann on the 10-day injured list with a quadricep injury. The Diamondbacks also have A.J. Puk, Cristian Mena, Blake Walston, Corbin Burnes, Andrew Saalfrank, Carlos Santana and Justin Martinez on the 60-day injured list. The opener starts a three-game set that gives both teams a chance to move the series in a different direction before the weekend is over.
