The Philadelphia Phillies (51-36) host the Cincinnati Reds (45-42) this afternoon for the start of a three-game National League series at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia has been stellar at home this season with a 28-15 record, while Cincinnati sits just under a .500 record at 21-23 on the road.
Game 1: Jesus Luzardo (7-4, 4.06 ERA) vs. Andrew Abbott (7-1, 1.79 ERA)
Jesus Luzardo looks to regain his form which slipped in the month of June with a 2-3 record and a 5.40 ERA. On the season, Luzardo holds a 7-4 record with a 4.06 ERA with 111 strikeouts over 95.1 innings pitched.
The Reds counter with Andrew Abbott who impressed last month with a 2-1 record, a 2.20 ERA over 32.2 innings. Abbott is gunning for an N.L. All-Star spot with a 7-1 record and a 1.79 ERA. The pitching staff for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta is expected to be announced later this week.
Game 2: Ranger Suarez (7-2, 2.00 ERA) vs. Nick Lodolo (5-5, 3.52 ERA)
A Phillies starter that could find his name on the MLB All-Star squad is Ranger Suarez, courtesy of his 7-2 record and 2.00 ERA this season. The 29-year-old southpaw dominated hitters during June with a 3-2 record and a 1.30 ERA over 41.2 innings.
Cincinnati will send out Nick Lodolo in Game 2 . Lodolo, the Reds first-round pick in the 2019 Draft, has struggled to find wins this season with a 5-5 record, but his underlying stats of a 3.52 ERA over 94.2 innings are not terrible.
Game 3: Zack Wheeler (8-3, 2.27 ERA) vs. Chase Burns (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
Phillies’ Ace Zack Wheeler returns to the mound looking for his team-leading 9th win on the 2025 campaign in the final game of the three-game set. The 35-year-old righty has been nothing short of excellent in 17 starts with an 8-3 record, a 2.27 ERA over 107 innings pitched. Batters have struggled with his pitch tools as “Wheels” currently placed third in Major League Baseball with 136 strikeouts trailing only Detroit’s ace Tarik Skubal and Boston’s fireballer Garrett Crochet.
Don’t mistake Chase Burns for a pushover in the final game of the three-game set. During his 2025 MLB Debut, Burns became the first starting pitcher in the expansion era to strike out the first five hitters that he faced. The 22-year-old righty finished that outing with eight strikeouts over five innings. Burns is 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA over 5.1 innings after allowing 5 hits and 5 earned runs in 0.1 innings in his last outing against the Boston Red Sox on June 30.
Phillies Offense vs. Reds Offense
Trea Turner’s .297 batting average leads the Phillies this season, followed by Alec Bohm (.283), Nick Castellanos (.279), and J.T. Realmuto (2.52). Kyle Schwarber leads the team in slugging with 26 home runs and 58 RBIs in 2025.
The Reds offense is powered by 23-year-old Elly De La Cruz.The 6-foot-5 slugger is batting .275 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs this season, both of which lead Cincinnati’s roster. Outfielder TJ Friedl leads the team with a .281 batting average in 2025.
If the Phillies are to have success against the Reds, Philadelphia will need their collection of hits to perform well against the pair of lefties Cincinnati will bring to the hill at Citizens Bank Park. Philly has a .254 batting average and a 53% winning-percentage against left-handed pitchers they’ve battled this season.
Photo Credit: Chris Babos
