First-place Reds to begin interleague set with Royals

Baseball Betting Lines

06/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hitting with runners in scoring position has been one of the main ingredients to the success of the Cincinnati Reds. The National League Central leaders will try to cook up some more wins at home when they welcome the Kansas City Royals to town Friday for the first of three straight interleague games at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds opened the homestand by splitting a four-game series with San Francisco and entered Thursday's contest with a major league-best .294 average with runners in scoring position. They racked up seven runs in a 7-6 victory over the Giants yesterday afternoon, as Brandon Phillips stroked a two-RBI triple and Joey Votto added an RBI single during a decisive three-run eighth inning. Phillips had four hits and two runs scored in his first leadoff performance since 2007.

"We just believe in ourselves," said Phillips, who began the day ranked among the league leaders in runs and hits and is riding a 13-game hitting streak. "It was a great game. We really needed it."

Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce both had two hits and an RBI for Cincinnati, while Scott Rolen's nine-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-4 showing at the plate. Rolen did lift a sacrifice fly to right field in the third inning to score Phillips.

Reds rookie starting pitcher Mike Leake did not record a decision and was roughed up for five runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Arthur Rhodes recorded the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief and Francisco Cordero closed the door in the ninth for his 17th save. Cordero is tied with San Diego's Heath Bell for second in the bigs in saves, three behind Washington's Matt Capps.

The Reds have won four of their last six games and sit 1 1/2 games ahead of rival St. Louis in the NL Central standings. They will also host the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games on this homestand and own a 21-13 record in the Queen City.

Since winning five starts in his previous six outings, Reds starter Bronson Arroyo is 0-1 with a 6.57 earned run average in his last two trips to the hill and hopes to get back on track Friday against the Royals. Arroyo started the slide in a 12-4 rout at St. Louis on May 31, when he was pounded for seven runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. He last toed the rubber on Sunday in 5-4 Reds' win in Washington, but did not figure into the outcome despite holding the Nationals to a pair of runs over eight innings.

The right-hander, who is 2-1 in five home starts in 2010, is still in search of his first career win against the Royals. Arroyo is 0-2 with a 5.52 ERA in four career appearances, two of which have been starts, versus Kansas City. Overall this season, he's 5-3 with a 4.65 ERA in 12 starts.

Kansas City was able to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the American League Central-rival Minnesota Twins with a 9-8 victory on Thursday. Wilson Betemit homered twice and Mitch Maier clubbed a two-run shot for the Royals, who won for just the third time in eight tries and got a big lift from the veteran Betemit.

"He's a kid that's been around awhile," Royals manager Ned Yost said of Betemit. "He knows how to prepare himself and take advantage of an opportunity when it's given to him."

Royals starter Bruce Chen lasted 6 1/3 innings and yielded five runs on 10 hits to record the win. He also fanned a season-best seven batters and walked one. Joakim Soria recorded his 14th save of the year despite giving up two runs in the ninth inning.

Kansas City is 1-2 on a six-game road trip and owns a 13-18 record away from Kauffman Stadium this season.

Luke Hochevar is slated to pitch tonight's series opener for the Royals and has lost two straight starts and four of his last seven decisions. Hochevar was on the losing end of a solid performance his last time out in a 4-2 verdict versus Detroit on Saturday, when he hurled seven innings of one-run ball and struck out a season-high 10 batters.

Hochevar, who is 5-4 with a 4,74 earned run average in 12 starts this season, has enjoyed pitching on the road to the tune of a 4-1 mark in six trips to the visitor's mound. The right-hander and former No. 1 draft pick faced Cincinnati for the first time on June 12 of last year and recorded his first career complete game in a 4-1 win. Hochevar scattered three hits, allowed one run and struck out three batters that day.

Cincinnati is 7-7 all-time versus Kansas City and 85-105 overall in interleague play, while the Royals swept the Reds in three games at home from June 12-14 of last season. Kansas City sports a 108-124 ledger against the National League.

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