Series 3 Preview

By:  Cooper Ledford


The 5-1 Cincinnati Reds will begin their first road trip of the season.  Their first stop will be in Arizona as they will visit the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game series.  So with that, I am going to preview this series, game by game.


Game 1 (Friday, 9:40 PM ET, FS Ohio):  Travis Wood will be pitching for the Reds, while Ian Kennedy will be pitching for the D-Backs.  Wood had a great first start, as he only gave up 1 run and 3 hits through 7 innings.  Kennedy was decent when he started on Opening Day, as he gave up 3 earned runs through 6 innings.  Travis Wood is the better pitcher in this one, so the Reds should win.  The Reds offense was not very good in their last game against Houston, they need to improve a bit.


Game 2 (Saturday, 8:10 PM ET, FS Ohio):  In the 2nd game of the series, Bronson Arroyo will take the hill for the Reds, for the D-Backs, it will be Daniel Hudson.  Hudson lost in his previous start against the Rockies, while Arroyo won in his previous start against the Brewers.  This looks like it will be a great pitcher's duel, but then again, both pitchers have some issues.  As all Reds fans know, Bronson is still recovering from mono, but seems to be fine.  Hudson's issue is not an illness, as it is just the fact that his command is not that great, as he showed against Colorado.  


Game 3 (Sunday, 4:10 PM ET, FS Ohio):  In the final game of the series, Mike Leake will pitch for Cincinnati, his counterpart will be Joe Saunders.  Mike Leake pitched well in his first start against Houston, allowing only 2 runs in 6 innings.  Saunders looked good as well in his first start against the Cubs, as he allowed only 2 runs through 6 innings, yet was handed the loss.  Both pitchers are coming off strong outings, we'll see who does better though.


The game the Reds have the best chance of losing is either the 2nd or 3rd game.  The 2nd because Hudson is a great pitcher, the 3rd because Mike Leake might struggle a bit.  Dunno why I say that, I just have a feeling.  But, I say the Reds take at least 2 games from Arizona, and go to 7-2, or hopefully 8-1.