Rip Van Reds wake up from two day nap to take on Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies stormed their way to the National League pennant in 2022, getting there largely on the backs of Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper, the duo combining for 6 homers in the National League Championship Series alone. While Citizens Bank Park will surely honor their previous campaign today when it plays host for the first time in 2023, it’ll do so without said duo, both of whom are now sidelined and recovering from major surgeries.

Despite those absences - Hoskins due to a freak knee injury, Harper while he recovers from an inevitable elbow surgery - the Phillies are still poised to be major players in 2023. They went out and inked Trea Turner to a $300+ million deal, and they still boast some elite performers all up and down their roster. That makes their 1-5 start to the 2023 season that much more jarring, and it likely means the Cincinnati Reds are going to be up against it when the two sides clash today for the first of seven games they’ll play between now and April 16th.

That’s right - the Reds will return to playing baseball for the first time since Tuesday after rain postponed their Wednesday game at home against the Chicago Cubs and preemptively banged this previously scheduled contest yesterday.

Zack Wheeler will be on the mound for the Phils this afternoon, whereas Cincinnati Opening Day starter Hunter Greene will get the nod for the Reds. First pitch is set for 3:05 PM ET, so tune in while watching The Masters on a separate device.

The Reds will be managed by bench coach Freddie Benavides for today’s game, as they mentioned that manager David Bell will miss the game after having a ‘minor medical procedure.’ Bell is expected back for Saturday’s game.

Reds Lineup

Phillies Lineup