Al DeMarco Tuesday's Play 5 Dime - Philadelphia Phillies

The most telling difference between Philadelphia and Cincinnati right now: the Phillies are coming off a four-game sweep of the dreadful Nationals in Washington in which they scored 33 runs. The Reds are coming off three losses against the equally bad Padres in San Diego in which they scored a total of nine runs.

On paper, at least, the pitching match-up tonight seems equal with two hot pitchers squaring off in Cole Hamels and Johnny Cueto. The difference: Hamels has produced long-term; Cueto has not.

After battling an elbow problem and sprained ankle at the season's start, Hamels has regained his World Series MVP form by allowing just three earned runs and striking out 20 in his last three starts, a stretch covering 17.1 innings in which his ERA is 1.56. And the lefthander has owned the Reds during his brief career, going 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA against them in four starts, two of them complete games.

Cueto has been on fire as well, going 4-0 with a 1.25 ERA in his last five starts, but the 23-year-old righthander also had the luxury of facing some of the weakest-hitting teams in the National League in that stretch: Arizona, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Houston and Chicago.

The Phillies have played exceptionally well on the road so far, winning 12 of 16 on the season, while the Reds are two games under .500 at home. With Cincinnati struggling offensively and just 1-4 versus lefthanders at home, it's worth the price to back a hot Hamels on the road.