The Phillies offense appears to be coming to life and that's good news as the Reds come to Citizens Bank Park for a three-game set with baseball's worst ERA at 6.13.

Left-hander Cody Reed gets the nod Monday night for Cincinnati. The 24-year-old is winless in 11 big league starts and finds himself in the starting rotation while Brandon Finnegan rehabs a bicep issue.

The Phillies counter with Ben Lively who took a loss last Tuesday against the Mets after surrendering two runs over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out five.

Yesterday's News
It was Jake Arrieta day at Citizens Bank Park yesterday with the former Cy Young winner tossing four innings in a shortened debut as he was on a pitch count. He struggled early but retired 10 of the final 11 hitters he faced. The Phillies lost the contest 6-3 after the bullpen faltered in the eighth. [Read More].

Tough Blow
The Reds lost third baseman Eugenio Suarez to a fractured right thumb on Sunday after he was hit by a pitch from Jameson Taillon. The 26-year-old was a vital part of the Reds' lineup, hitting .260 last year with career highs in both homers (26) and RBIs (82). Already this year he had two homers and seven RBIs in eight games.

Faithful Kapler
J.P. Crawford is scuffling at the plate, but Phillies manager Gabe Kapler maintains confidence he'll soon snap out of his 1-for-23 slump to open the season.

"I really have a ton of confidence in J.P. and I know he has a ton of confidence in himself," Kapler said following Sunday's series finale with the Marlins. "I believe in his ability to come through this and be stronger on the other side."

Order Up
Through the first eight games, the Phillies are hitting .423 out of the No. 4 spot in the lineup, but just .175 combined out of the No. 2 & No. 3 spots.

Tonight's Starting Lineup
1. Cesar Hernandez 4
2. Carlos Santana 3
3. Odubel Herrera 8
4. Rhys Hoskins 7
5. Maikel Franco 5
6. Scott Kingery 6
7. Aaron Altherr 9
8. Jorge Alfaro 2
9. Ben Lively 1
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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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