Interleague Series Preview: Sox @ Cincy

Cincinnati Reds (32-36)


NL Central: 11 1/2 GB
Streak: W1
Last 10: 4-6

NL Batting Stats (rank)
AVG: .251 (13)
RS: 307 (t7)
HRs: 76 (t4)
NL Pitching Stats (rank)
ERA: 4.49 (t12)
RA: 336 (3rd most)
SVs: 12 (13)

3 game series at Great American Ballpark
Game 1 Friday 7:10
Masterson (3-0, 2.59) vs. Harang (2-9, 4.31)
Game 2 Saturday 3:55 FOX
Wakefield (4-4, 4.33) vs. Volquez (9-2, 1.56)
Game 3 Sunday 1:35 TBS
Beckett (6-4, 4.22) vs. Bailey (0-2, 6.30)

KEY REDS:

-RF Ken Griffey Jr .256, 7HR, 30BI, 31R, 40BB, .365OBP he might not be the same "kid" who wowed baseball fans every time he came to the plate or took the field in his heyday, but after becoming just the sixth man to hit 600 home runs last week, the older Jr proved he's still got it

-LF Adam Dunn .229, 16HR, 41BI, 56BB, 66K, .397OBP the country-strong rightfielder has long been rumored to be traded to a contender such as Boston, and if the man they call Donkey has a big series it could be considered an audition for a deadline deal. Despite his hit-or-miss propensity and paltry average Dunn leads the league in walks and the team in OBP, and when he does get a hold of one it's a sight to see

-CF Jay Bruce .391, 3HR, 11BI, 14R, .480OBP, 17GP the phenom was brought up to the big club on May 27th and has been on a tear ever since. He hit 3 doubles and 3 home runs in his first seven games, including a walk off shot in the 10th inning against the Braves in his fifth career game, and should be a star in the league for years to come

-Edinson Volquez 9-2, 1.56ERA, 1.17WHIP, 96Ks, 3HR, .184BAA in 81IP he was the key piece in the trade that sent Josh Hamilton to the Rangers and the young righthander hasn't disappointed. The 24-year-old leads the league in ERA and strikeouts and is second in wins and is a true Cy Young contender on a lousy team

PREVIEW:
After playing the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's and Seattle Mariners for the better part of the season Boston gets to mix it up and head across league lines to take on the Cincinnati Reds in its first trip to the Queen City since the 1975 World Series.

The older members of the Nation will recall that memorable Fall Classic as one of the best of all time, featuring Fisk's historic homer, Dewey's spectacular catch and throw, and Pete Rose being named MVP in what at the time was a devastating 7 game loss for the locals.

But that was 1975 B.C. - before the championships - so the memories are all good now.

This series, the first between the clubs since 2005 when the Sox swept the Reds in three games at Fenway, should be interesting for many reasons.

1.) The Sox have yet to prove they can win on the road
Sure winning three straight in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago helped inch their road record towards respectability, but still a 14-20 mark away from Fenway for a team that supposed to be one of the best in baseball is not acceptable for the fans or the team; they need a sweep here to restore road credibility.

2.) Phenoms, phenoms everywhere
The Sox stud young starter Justin Masterson will try to keep his perfect record intact in the series opener tonight, while Cincy's Cy Young candidate, the electric Edinson Volquez, will put his 9-2 mark and league leading 96 strikeouts on the line against the best team in the American League tomorrow.

When you add in Jay Bruce and Jacoby Ellsbury, two of the brightest young centerfielders in the game and Reds rookie 1B Joey Votto, who has 11 homers 36 RBI, and what you've got is the makings of a Futures All Star team.

3.) History for and between the teams
These are two of the oldest and proudest franchises in baseball history, both located in terrific metropolitan areas with great fan bases and participated in one of the greatest World Series' in history.

Throw in a spectacular new ballpark that will be jam packed with a sea of Red and the fact that Terry Francona played for the Reds, former Boston folk hero Bronson Arroyo now pitches for the Reds, and the former (Sean Casey) and current (Youk) mayors of Cincy now play for Boston, and what you've got is a lot of MLB and cross-team history on the field this weekend.

The job of starting the series off on a good note falls on the strapping live arm of Masterson.

Making his first start away from Fenway, and obviously his first against an NL club, Justin will need to stay focused and use all of his pitches to remain ahead of the slugging but patient Reds hitters.

The rookie will be opposed by the veteran Aaron Harang. The staff ace of the last few years hasn't pitched all that poorly this season, but like Jeremy Guthrie last night has been victimized by terrible run support.

In his 15 starts this tear Cincy has scored 2 runs or less 8 times for the beefy righty and the offense is averaging a minuscule 2.90 RPG for him, good for 107th in the league for NL starters. Yikes.

So if Masterson continues to do what he has been doing, which is holding opponents to about 1 run per game, and JD Drew and Manny Ramirez continue to hit the cover off the ball, all signs point to a win in the opener and a great way to start off the weekend in Great American Ballpark.

Wonder how many times we'll hear the infamous phrase " and there's a long drive...if it stays, fair...HOME RUN!"