Reds Visit Chase Field Needing a Win That Matters
Cincinnati arrives in Phoenix six games under .500, staring at a Diamondbacks club that has built a six-game cushion above the break-even line. This one has real stakes — Arizona is protecting ground, and the Reds are running out of runway.
The records tell the story plainly: Arizona (68-62) has earned the home-field comfort here, while Cincinnati (62-68) is in the position of a team that needs wins in bunches rather than ones and twos. Andrew Abbott is expected to take the mound for the Reds, and Mitch Bratt is set to start for the Diamondbacks — a pitching matchup that could define the tone of the afternoon at Chase Field. Neither name carries the marquee weight of a staff ace, which means the offenses may have more say than usual in how this one unfolds.
For Cincinnati, the offensive identity runs through two very different profiles. Elly De La Cruz is hitting .263 — a number that reflects a player capable of changing a game in ways that don't always show up in batting average. Sal Stewart, meanwhile, is the blunt instrument: 27 home runs and 97 RBI are the kind of numbers that make opposing pitchers uncomfortable in any count, any situation. Stewart is quietly having a serious season, and if Bratt leaves anything over the middle of the plate, Chase Field's dimensions won't save him.
Arizona counters with its own compelling pieces. Gabriel Moreno is hitting .307 — the best average among the key players on either side — and a catcher hitting at that clip gives a lineup a different kind of steadiness. Nolan Arenado brings 21 home runs and 65 RBI to the lineup, and while those RBI totals trail Stewart's pace, Arenado's presence in a lineup has a way of making everyone around him more dangerous. As for a model lean on this game — there isn't one to share today. No validated read exists, and manufacturing a prediction from thin air isn't something worth doing. What is worth noting: the Diamondbacks hold the structural advantages here — better record, home field, and a lineup with contact at the top and power in the middle. First pitch is 4:15 PM ET on Peacock.