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Arizona Diamondbacks
@ Cincinnati Reds
Monday, Aug 19, 2013, 7:10 PM EDT
Great American Ballpark
The temperature should be in the low-to-mid 80s at first pitch with sunny skies and a light breeze. It sounds like a delightful night for a ballgame.
The Reds are coming off a successful week in which they went 5-2 and now trail first place Pittsburgh by only 2.5 games. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, Arizona has also been playing well, taking five of six from Baltimore and Pittsburgh. All of which means that the Diamondbacks sit five games behind the Reds. This week's four game series will factor heavily into each team's place in the playoff races. If the Reds take three of four from the Diamondbacks, then Arizona will effectively reside in Cincinnati's rearview mirror for the rest of the season. Conversely, if the Reds lose the series, then Cincinnati's hold on the second wild card spot will become somewhat tenuous.
Randall Delgado came up with the Braves, but Atlanta moved him to Arizona in last winter's Justin Upton trade. He currently has a healthy ERA of 3.52 (108 ERA+) that is propped up by a sickly fielding independent pitching mark of 4.44. Delgado's strikeout rate has taken a bit of a tumble this season, but he's managed to offset that decline by handing out fewer walks than in previous seasons.
Bronson Arroyo is also having a good season on the mound. He still gives up his fair share of long balls, but limits the damage by keeping men off the bases by walking very few batters. Arroyo currently has an ERA of 3.35 and an ERA+ of 118, both of which are bests since his first season in Cincinnati.