MONDAY'S MLB PREVIEWS

Seven games out of the final NL wild-card spot and 6½ back in the NL West, Arizona can ill afford to slide further out of playoff contention. The Diamondbacks were swept in three games by the Cubs at Wrigley Field over the weekend, continuing their streaky play. Arizona won its final three games before the All-Star break, which followed a six-game losing streak. On the other hand, Cincinnati is surging, sweeping the Cardinals to extend its winning streak to six and move one game ahead of Pittsburgh in the NL Central.

Pitching continues to spark the Reds, who come into the week third in the majors in ERA (3.33). Johnny Cueto, scratched from the Reds’ start Sunday night with a blister, is scheduled to pitch Tuesday. Left-hander Wade Miley, Arizona's lone All-Star representative, looks to get the Diamondbacks back on track in the series opener against Bronson Arroyo.

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