leadoff man Dexter Fowler has been limited to pinch-hitting duty lately because or right-shoulder soreness. Fowler is at .236/.311/.434 for the season, but he had a big 2-run triple Wednesday to help beat the Marlins.

Cincinnati Reds:

What’s up: The Reds are one of the surprise teams in baseball. They entered Thursday night’s game at San Francisco in second place with a record of 18-15.

Joey Votto is back in top form with 10 homers to go with a line of .289/.408/.623 heading into Thursday. Zack Cozart had a line of .350/.442/.580.

What’s down: It remains to be seen how the Reds’ pitching will hold up. Onetime Cub Scott Feldman leads the team’s starters in ERA at 3.76. Cincinnati was 12th in quality starts.

Milwaukee Brewers:

What’s up: Eric Thames, who did not start Thursday’s home game against the Red Boston Sox, has been a revelation. He took a line of .333/.439/.744 (1.182 OPS) into the day. He had 13 homers and 25 RBI.

Ryan Braun, who has been battling a calf injury, was at .287/.374/.574 with 7 homers and 18 RBI. The Brewers went into Thursday tied with Washington for the league lead in home runs (55).

What’s down: The Brewers are in the early stages of a rebuilding process, and most observers expect them to fall off as the season advances. They rank last in the NL in quality starts, a stat that has a way of catching up to teams.

Pittsburgh Pirates:

What’s up: Onetime Cubs prospect Josh Harrison had a line of .299/.362/.479 with 5 homers and 12 RBI entering Thursday’s game at Arizona.

What’s down: David Freese, who got off to a hot start, has been on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.

Andrew McCutchen went into Thursday at .215/.294/.397. The Pirates entered Thursday near the bottom of several key offensive categories.

• Follow Bruce’s reports from St. Louis this weekend on Twitter @BruceMiles2112.