Reds hope to have Suarez back against Phillies

The Cincinnati Reds hope to have slugger Eugenio Suarez back in the lineup when they host the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

Suarez, who leads the team with 40 home runs and 89 RBI, left Sunday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals after getting hit on the left hand by a pitch.

Reds manager David Bell immediately suspected something serious but was relieved to hear Monday that X-rays were negative and Suarez was day-to-day with a contusion.

"I was even talking to him (Sunday) night about what a great season he's had," Bell said. "He remained really positive, and I think it really paid off (Monday). He got great news, and it'll be nice to have him the rest of the way."

The Reds certainly could have used him in Monday's series opener. The Phillies won 7-1, scoring all of their runs on four home runs. The Reds got their only run on a homer by Aristides Aquino, who became the first player to notch 15 home runs in his first 122 major-league plate appearances.

If Suarez gets the green light to return on Tuesday, he'll face Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (6-7, 4.86 ERA), who has benefited from solid run support to go 2-0 in his past three outings.

Velasquez gave up two runs and five hits in five innings on Wednesday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates and earned the win in the 12-3 victory. In his previous start on Aug. 23, the Miami Marlins chased him after 2 1/3 innings, but he did not get the decision in the 19-11 loss.

Phillies manager Gabe Kapler has been pleased with his contributions.

"Vince is doing a good job keeping us in games and giving our offense a chance to score runs," Kapler said. "He's feeling pretty confident right now. His delivery looks smooth and easy. It doesn't look like there's too much effort out there for him, either."

Velasquez will be opposed by left-hander Alex Wood (1-3, 5.80), who is 0-3 in his past five starts. His ERA climbed from 3.18 to 5.80 in that span.

Wood did not factor into the decision in Thursday's loss to the Marlins, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight across six innings.

Wood, who spent four months on the injured list with a back injury, is 3-3 in his career against the Phillies with a 3.36 ERA.

He'll need to navigate a lineup that features well-known stars like Bryce Harper, who has at least one hit and one run in 10 consecutive games, the longest streak by a Philadelphia player since Shane Victorino in 2009.

And Wood will need to be careful with some of the up-and-coming stars for the Phillies, like Scott Kingery, who gave the Phillies the lead for good on Monday with his 16th home run of the season.

Kingery played shortstop on Monday but also has 48 starts in center field for Philadelphia this season.

"It's hard not to be excited about that, because you've got what could project to be a middle-of-the-lineup bat and a guy who plays shortstop and center field. Those guys are very difficult to come by," Kapler said. "You don't see those often around the league. A very valuable player for us right now."

--Field Level Media