Opposite dugout: Poor hitting has hurt Reds in tough NL Central

Manager: Bryan Price (2nd season)

Record: 19-27

Last 10 games: 1-9

Who to watch: 2B Brandon Phillips (.297, 18 RBIS), 1B Joey Votto (.275, 7 HR, 21 RBIs), 3B Todd Frazier (14 HR, 28 RBIs), CF Billy Hamilton (18 SB), RHP Johnny Cueto (3-4, 3.03 ERA), RHP Aroldis Chapman (7 saves, 34 Ks in 20 1/3 innings)

Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-3 in 2014)

Pitching probables:

May 29: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Anthony DeSclafani, 7:10 p.m., MASN2
May 30: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Raisel Iglesias, 4:10 p.m., MASN2
May 31: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Johnny Cueto, 1:10 p.m., MASN2

Inside the Reds:

Not much has gone as the Reds have planned it this season. Their bats haven't come around, their pitching has been spotty and manager Bryan Price - who delivered an expletive-laden tongue lashing to a reporter for having the gall to report that the team was preparing to make a roster move before the outgoing player was told when the scribe turned up on the same flight as the incoming player - is in the awkward position of being the captain of a sinking ship. If not for the fact that the Reds are hosting the All-Star Game, Price might already have been fired; he still might not last long after the Mid-Summer Classic if things don't pick up.

Cincinnati comes into the weekend series with one win in its last 11 games and having just ended a nine-game skid on Tuesday. The struggling Reds appear ripe for the picking.

Aside from amassing the most stolen bases in the bigs (45) - a number helped by speedy center fielder Billy Hamilton's 18 thefts - and ranking eighth in homers, the Reds are lagging at the bottom of the majors in just about every offensive category. They've got the second-fewest hits (361) and rank 28th in average (.235) and runs (170). Their 595 total bases rank 25th and a .306 on-base percentage is 22nd. Not exactly what the Reds were expecting.

Injuries have hurt the Reds. Catcher Devin Mesoraco finally went on the disabled list this week with a left hip impingement that has lingered for more than a month and prevented him from doing much more than pinch-hitting, and second baseman Brandon Phillips has been bothered lately by turf toe. Left fielder Marlon Byrd, long ago a National, has eight homers and 17 RBIs in May, and right fielder Jay Bruce has been on a tear, with 16 hits in 34 at-bats over his last 10 games to raise his average to .265. Third baseman Todd Frazier leads the club with 14 homers and 28 RBIs, but first baseman Joey Votto is struggling through a .235 May (though his .275/.363/.471 slash line signals that he could be en route to resuming his place as an on-base machine).

Aside from facing right-hander Johnny Cueto in Sunday's finale, the Nationals will have some pretty favorable pitching matchups in the weekend series. And Cueto is no sure thing, having been scratched from his last scheduled start because of right elbow stiffness and given some extra rest between outings.

Cincinnati made a nice under-the-radar move to acquire righty Anthony DeSclafani from the Marlins in December, and he's coming off a sterling outing. On May 23 at Cleveland, he went seven innings, allowing a run on three hits. Before that, DeSclafani hadn't gotten past five innings in his previous five starts. He's 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA at Great American Ball Park. Though he's yielded a .288 opponent batting average at home, his overall batting average against has been pretty impressive: a .216 mark that features a .141 average against right-handed hitters and a .276 line against lefty swingers. May traditionally hasn't been kind to DeSclafani, who is 1-4 with a 5.79 in the month. He's mostly a fastball/slider pitcher, the former averaging 92 mph and coming out of his hand 65 percent of the time, and the latter averaging 86 mph and thrown 20 percent of the time. His danger zone this season has been his 46th through 60th pitchers, against which foes have a .394 average (13-for-33). This is his first start against the Nats, though he has a career .000 ERA in two relief outings.

Rookie righty Raisel Iglesias has bounced between the rotation and bullpen (and the majors and minors) this season, and Saturday marks his second start (and fourth overall) since his most recent recall on May 13. He's been hit-or-miss, lasting only three innings in his last outing on May 24 at Cleveland. But he's 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA as a starter and has held opponents to a .243 batting average against. He's even tougher on right-handed hitters, who hit only .188 off him. Most rookies make a bad mistake or two, but Iglesias has yet to allow a home run in 19 innings pitches. Most of the damage against him comes with none out and none on - a .353/.421/.529 slash line. Like many young pitchers, he's a fastball/slider pitcher, throwing a 91 mph fastball about 66 percent of the time and an 81 mph slider 22 percent of the time (while also spotting in a changeup).

Sunday starter Cueto no longer relies solely on heat, though he can ramp his fastball up to 96 mph. He throws his fastball 52 percent of the time, mixing in an 88 mph cutter 19 percent of the time and an 83 mph change about 15 percent of the time, so changing speeds is often the key to his effectiveness. And while he has made 10 career starts against Washington, he's not always been effective, as his 6-3 record and 4.06 ERA against the Nats would suggest. Before his elbow problems cropped up this season, Cueto was a model of consistency, going at least six innings in all nine of his starts and working into the seventh in all but one. But after recorded a 1.91 ERA in April, he's pitched to a 4.45 ERA in May. He's been effective at home, with a 1-1 record and 1.55 ERA. Foes are hitting only .217 against him, including a .195 mark against left-handers and a .162 average at home. If the Nats are going to get to Cueto, they might want to be aggressive early: Through his 15th pitch of the game, opponents are slashing .346/.379/.615 off him.

A lot has been asked of the bullpen, and for the most part, the workmanlike relief corps has come through. Closer Aroldis Chapman is still throwing bullets - his fastball has been clocked as high as 103 mph this season - but the team's struggles have limited his opportunities to close out games. So far, he's got seven saves in seven chances, but an uncharacteristically high 1.43 WHIP. His 1.77 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings look good, but second-division clubs don't need front-line closers, and if the Reds continue to sputter, they might want to deal Chapman now, rather than wait until he reaches free agency after the 2016 campaign. Ex-Nats reliever Ryan Mattheus was claimed off waivers from the Angels on May 13 and has performed well in limited action with Cincinnati.