Gamenight: Reds (28-29) At Phillies (33-25)
News: Phillies activate Chris Snelling to 25-man roster. TJ Bohn has been demoted to AAA Lehigh Valley.
News 2: Kris Benson was scratched from his rehab start in Clearwater. Yet another setback for the right-hander.
Tonight baseball’s spotlight will shine on Philadelphia, as the first-place Phillies face the surging Reds in the first game of a four-game series.
The big news is not about the first-place Phils or the surging Reds, but about Ken Griffey Jr., who could hit his 600th home run tonight with one swing. I expect a slew of drunken North and Roman Catholic kids with arms outstretched in the back of the right field seats.
All the Griffey business shouldn’t take us away from the entire Reds team, one that is bashing the ball like the Cerranos of old. Foremost is the brutish 21-year-old Jay Bruce — or “The Boss” — who is obliterating the ball at .591 with two homers (a walk-off) and six ribbies. And he’s stolen two bases. The kid is nuts.
Bronson Arroyo goes for the Reds. The sappy singer/songwriter gave up five earned to the Phils on April 7. Meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick goes for the good guys, and he has pitched through the sixth in his last six real starts (not counting the rain delay vs. Toronto).
Phillies: Kyle Kendrick (4-2) 4.84 ERA
Reds: Bronson Arroyo (3-4) 5.55 ERA
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EST
Weather: 78 degrees, sunny
Lineup: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Jenkins, Feliz, Coste, Kendrick
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday
Your gamenight beer: In honor of Griffey, I ‘ll drink La Roja tonight. It’s a red-colored, red-flavored beer that is rare to find and fun to drink. The offering from Jolly Pumpkin resembles red wine, so drink slow and with good food. Tonight, it’s Spanish rice and shrimp. Maybe Griffey hits 600, but the Phillies win by 600.
Go Phillies!
