BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The series
- Where: Cinergy Field
- When: 7:05 p.m. Monday and Tuesday
- Records: Reds (18-18, fourth NL Central), Braves (26-11, first NL East)
- Radio: WLW-AM (700)
- TV: Monday, Fox Sports Ohio
At the plate
The Braves' hitters are matching their pitching this year, which explains why they're dominating the National League East. They rank second in hitting in the league with a .285 batting average, and their 60 home runs are far and away the most in the NL, besting second-place Colorado by 18. By contrast, the Reds have a total of 31.
Third baseman Chipper Jones is having a superstar year (.353, 12 HR, 36 RBI), with all of his homers coming from the left side. Andres Galarraga has replaced Fred McGriff at first and is off to a hot start (.336, 13 HR, 32 RBI), and new shortstop Walt Weiss is hitting .356. Catcher Javy Lopez is hitting .296 with 10 homers and 29 RBI.
One of the few disappointments has been left fielder Ryan Klesko, who is hitting only .240 with five homers and 22 RBI, though he has an eight-game hitting streak.
On the mound
Outlook
What kind of outlook do you expect when you play the Braves? The Reds can only hope that Maddux and Smoltz end up having bad days at the same time, and that Remlinger and Weathers pitch up to their level. Both Reds' pitchers have shown flashes.
Reds page
