Rhett Lowder (3-3, 4.60) gets the ball for Cincinnati in just his second start back from a shoulder IL stint, opposite Schlittler (7-3, 1.82) at 7:05 PM ET. Lowder's last time out he went 5.2 innings of 1-run ball with 6 punchouts against Arizona, so the stuff is back. He's going to need every bit of it.
Schlittler's breakout is the real story here. The right-hander has paired an elevated four-seamer with a heavy sinker to run a sub-2 ERA through his first 9 starts, and his last outing was 7 innings of 1-run, 7-strikeout work in Toronto. The Reds offense, already without Elly De La Cruz and Ke'Bryan Hayes, is walking into a buzzsaw.
Both teams come in stubbing their toes. The Yankees got embarrassed 5-1 by the White Sox on Thursday — Andrew Benintendi grand-slammed Camilo Doval on the first pitch he saw — and the Reds got blown out 9-1 by the Mets to close out their last series. So whatever momentum either side had is gone. New York is still 45-28 and 10 games over .500 in the AL East race. The Reds at 35-38 are scrapping to get back to break-even.
The injury column is where this game actually tilts. Aaron Judge is out 4-6 weeks with a rib stress fracture, Giancarlo Stanton re-tweaked the calf, Austin Wells is on a rehab assignment, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. exited Thursday after a foul ball caught him in the groin — his status for the opener is up in the air. That's an entire heart-of-the-order's worth of damage, and the lineup behind Schlittler is mostly Volpe, Caballero, and faith.
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns C — no
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes (back) has begun hitting at the Reds' training facility in Arizona, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILElly De La Cruz SS — De La Cruz (hamstring) is scheduled to begin running Tuesday and Wednesday, and he will begin a rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Gwinnett, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan RP — Pagan (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is scheduled to pitch in a simulated game/live batting practice session at Yankee Stadium on Friday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILPierce Johnson RP — Johnson (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene SP — Greene (elbow) is slated to begin a rehab assignment Thursday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft RP — Ashcraft (elbow) received a platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson SP — The Reds transferred Williamson (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
- Day-To-DayJazz Chisholm Jr. 2B — Chisholm (groin) exited Thursday's contest against the White Sox in the fourth inning, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- Day-To-DayEric Reyzelman SP — no
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTrent Grisham CF — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Grisham has been diagnosed with a "moderate" right hamstring strain, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — The Yankees announced that Stanton (calf) reinjured his calf and will have a slow week of activities, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAustin Wells C — Wells (head) has been sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin a rehab assignment.
- 10-Day-ILAaron Judge RF — The Yankees announced Thursday that Judge has a stress fracture of his first rib on his right side and will be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks before being re-evaluated, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Fried (elbow) will throw off a mound Saturday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
The silver lining for Cincinnati is that help is finally on the way. De La Cruz starts his rehab assignment Friday — 5 innings at short to open, building up over the weekend, with a target return next week against Milwaukee. Hunter Greene struck out 6 in his first rehab start. None of it helps tonight, but the Reds just have to tread water for another week.
Bottom line: the Yankees are a banged-up favorite leaning entirely on a starter who has been the best version of himself all season. The Reds are running a guy still shaking off rust into the meat grinder. Schlittler's start is the entire game.