Red Stockings at Red Sox, Game 1 - Preview, Lineups, Pitching Matchup

Fresh off a winning homestand, the Cincinnati Reds have hit the road for a brief two-game road trip to Boston, and Boston only. Facing the Red Sox has been nothing enjoyable for the Reds throughout much of their history, with the 1975 World Series an obvious exception.

Slyde relayed as much earlier today on Twitter:

Oof.

The Reds will have Luis Castillo on which they can lean this evening in search of another win to help even-out that awful record. The fireballing righty has allowed just 2 ER in each of his two most recent starts (4 ER total in 11 IP), and has continued to look as if he’s rounding into the kind of form that has long made him pop up in trade rumors to big-money franchises like, at times, the Boston Red Sox.

To get the win, the bats will need to thump against Michael Wacha, the longtime St. Louis Cardinals starter who has faced the Reds in more games (23), IP (121.2), and PA (502) than any other opponent in his career. He owns a tidy 2.81 ERA against Cincinnati in that time, too, so some regression is surely embedded in there somewhere, right?

News

• Tommy Pham’s 3-game slapspension has expired, and he’s back in the lineup for Cincinnati this evening.
• Despite the off-day yesterday, Nick Senzel is not in the starting lineup tonight. That Albert Almora, Jr. has actually hit like a former 1st round pick might have something to do with that.
• Technically speaking, both of those bits of news were true at the time I first hit publish on this thing. Since then, however, we’ve seen the Reds scratch Tommy Pham with what’s being called ‘calf discomfort,’ and Nick Senzel moved into the lineup to replace him.

Roster Moves

• None, shockingly.

Game Info

Cincinnati Reds (16-31) at Boston Red Sox (23-26)

7:10 PM EDT; Fenway Park, Boston, MA

AD

TV: Bally Sports Ohio. Radio: 700 WLW

Lineups

Cincinnati Lineup [UPDATED]

Boston Lineup

Pitching Match-up

CIN: Luis Castillo - 1-2, 4.35 ERA, 4 G, 20.2 IP, 18/5 K/BB

BOS: Michael Wacha - 3-0, 2.83 ERA, 7 G, 35.0 IP, 24/14 K/BB