The Philadelphia Phillies (14-8) start the first leg of a 10-game road trip after making the most of home cooking with an 8-2 homestand. After beating up on lesser teams like the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, they’ll face a stiffer test against the Cincinnati Reds (12-9) for four games, starting Monday at Great American Ball Park
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With their sixth-straight win, an 8-2 victory on Sunday, the Phillies moved to within 1.0 game of the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. Since taking two of three at Citizens Bank Park at the beginning of the month, the Reds have gone 9-8, but are coming off a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels. They sit 2.5 games back in the NL Central.
In roster news, the Phillies will be without first baseman Bryce Harper for three games, as the team placed him on the paternity list earlier today. Kody Clemens was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will be in Monday’s lineup.
