Phillies' Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper take aim at Reds

The Philadelphia Phillies hope their historical resurgence continues this week as they open a three-game series against the host Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

After a 9-19 start that led to the dismissal of manager Rob Thomson, the Phillies have surged under interim manager Don Mattingly. They won 41 of the next 61 games before dropping the last two in Kansas City, including Monday's 15-1 rout.

Still, Philadelphia resides in second place in the National League East and remains a strong contender for a postseason berth as the All-Star Game approaches in the team's home park next Tuesday.

The turnaround has been historic. In late June, the Phillies joined the 1955 Red Sox and 1951 Giants as only the third team in MLB history to improve from 10-plus games under .500 to 10-plus contests over .500 before their 85th game. Monday's blowout loss, however, dropped Philadelphia to nine games above .500.

A major catalyst for the team's turnaround is the offense. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber leads the majors in home runs with 30 despite a drought that has seen him go deep just once in his last 13 games.

"He's just been relentless at the plate, setting the tone for us daily," Mattingly said.

With Bryce Harper's 20th homer of the season last week, he and Schwarber reached 50 home runs together through 85 team games -- it marked the first time the Phillies have had a pair of teammates to accomplish the feat.

The Reds have experienced the exact opposite rollercoaster ride that Philadelphia has enjoyed. Since opening 20-11, the team has a majors-worst 21-37 mark since May 1.

The Reds salvaged Sunday's series finale against Baltimore, 3-2, holding on as closer Emilio Pagan surrendered a run in the ninth inning but escaped with his first save since April 19.

The biggest struggle for the Reds has been their bullpen, followed closely by an offense that has been void of any consistent power or situational hitting in late innings. Since beginning with an impressive 3.44 ERA in April, the bullpen has blown up to a majors-worst 6.55 ERA since May 1, nearly a full run worse than the next team.

The Reds have been in desperate need for their starters to reach the sixth and seventh innings, something Nick Lodolo did in Sunday's win. He allowed one run in six innings.

June was a winless month for Lodolo, as the Reds lost all five of his starts.

"To get deeper in the games, we've got to be better at count control just as a whole," Lodolo said. "That was a big emphasis for me going into the day."

The Phillies are projected to send right-hander Zack Wheeler (8-1, 2.36 ERA) to the mound in Tuesday's series opener, making his 14th start.

Wheeler did not face the Reds in May when Cincinnati recorded two of three wins in Philadelphia. He is 3-2 lifetime against Cincinnati, with a 2.35 ERA and 64 strikeouts across nine appearances, including a complete-game one-hitter in which he struck out 12 last July.

The Reds will counter with left-hander Andrew Abbott (5-4, 3.88 ERA), making his 19th start of the season.

Abbott earned the win in Cincinnati's 9-4 triumph over the Phillies on May 20, allowing two runs (one earned) and three hits over 5 1/3 innings. He has a career record of 1-1 with a 3.81 ERA and 18 strikeouts in five lifetime appearances against them.