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Phillies-Reds Preview

May 18, 2009 - 4:35 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Philadelphia (20-16) at Cincinnati (20-17), 7:10 p.m. EDT

After a tumultuous start to the season, Cole Hamels has begun to pitch like the ace the Philadelphia Phillies expect him to be.

The Cincinnati Reds are starting to count on the same type of production from Johnny Cueto.

Two of the NL's top young pitchers will square off Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park, where Cueto and the Reds will try to keep Hamels and the Phillies from picking up their fifth straight win.

Hamels' (1-2, 5.04 ERA) injury issues began when he experienced elbow tightness in spring training. They carried over into April, when the World Series MVP suffered a left shoulder contusion followed by a left ankle sprain.

After four rocky outings, though, Hamels is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and a .217 opponent batting average in his last two starts. He didn't earn a decision Thursday as the Phillies (20-16) fell 5-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 10 innings, but Hamels allowed two runs - one earned - while striking out nine in seven strong innings.

Hamels should feel better about his chances Tuesday considering his brilliant track record against the Reds (20-17). In four career starts versus Cincinnati, the left-hander is 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA and two complete games.

An old-fashioned pitchers' duel could result against Cueto (4-1, 1.93). The 23-year-old right-hander has delivered five quality starts in a row, going 4-0 with a 1.25 ERA.

His least effective outing in that stretch came Wednesday, when he allowed three runs and four hits over seven innings in Arizona. He still got credit for a 10-3 win, though, and other than allowing two homers manager Dusty Baker described Cueto as "masterful."

"I'm very happy," Cueto told the Reds' official Web site through an interpreter. "The same time I'm pitching well, the team is coming out and scoring runs and making some plays on defense."

Cueto has never faced the Phillies, and his first experience against Philadelphia may not be coming at the best time. The Phillies won all four games in Washington over the weekend, totaling 33 runs.

On Sunday, Philadelphia staged a late rally with a three-run eighth inning to win 8-6 and complete the sweep.

"We played a lot of baseball and we come out 4-0," Manuel said. "That's pretty good."

The Reds, meanwhile, will be looking to get back on track at home after getting swept in San Diego. Cincinnati began its six-game road trip with thee wins in Arizona, but totaled just nine runs in three losses to the Padres.

Baker's club managed four hits Sunday en route to a 3-1 defeat.

The Reds played without Joey Votto in the finale. The slugging first baseman - tied for the team lead with 27 RBIs - has missed five games since May 7 with the flu and left two others due to dizziness. He'll be examined Monday and his status for the series opener is unclear.

"It's a little different without Joey," Baker said. "He's our big man in the middle. Right now we're just hoping he's OK so we can get him back. That's (priority) number one."