On Monday, the Cincinnati Reds mounted a comeback, scoring in the seventh and eighth innings to grab the lead. However, their bullpen woes continued as they watched that advantage slip away, eventually falling 5–4 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the series opener.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (24-24) | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| Philadelphia Phillies (25-23) | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| W: Kerkering (2-0) L: Ashcraft (1-1) SV: Duran (8) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Nick Lodolo’s outing started poorly in the bottom of the first. The very first pitch he threw was doubled. He then walked Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm to load the bases, prompting a visit from pitching coach Derek Johnson. A nine-pitch battle followed, resulting in a sacrifice fly to center field that gave the Phillies a 1–0 lead. Another sacrifice fly later in the inning extended the lead to two runs.
The Reds answered in the top of the second with back-to-back singles against Andrew Painter. Tyler Stephenson then sliced a single just inside first base; the ball rolled into right field for an RBI, scoring Sal Stewart. TJ Friedl added a sacrifice fly to bring in Nathaniel Lowe, tying the game at 2–2.
Offense slowed after that, with Lodolo and Painter trading scoreless innings until the sixth. That’s when Alec Bohm broke the deadlock with a solo home run to left-center. Lodolo later hit a batter and walked Bryson Stott with two outs before being replaced by Tejay Antone. Antone loaded the bases with a walk but escaped further damage with a groundout.
Philadelphia’s lead was short-lived. The Phillies turned to their bullpen in the seventh, and Sal Stewart greeted Brad Keller with an opposite-field home run to tie the game again. Cincinnati struck once more in the eighth: Matt McLain singled, stole second with two outs, and Spencer Steer followed with an RBI double into the left-field corner, putting the Reds ahead 4–3.
Graham Ashcraft, who threw an eight-pitch seventh inning, returned for the eighth. He allowed a leadoff single, then secured a forceout and a flyout. But on his second pitch to Bryson Stott, he left a slider hanging, and Stott launched it 360 feet into the right-field seats for a go-ahead two-run homer.
Philadelphia brought in Jhoan Duran to close in the top of the ninth. He battled Nathaniel Lowe for 10 pitches before striking him out, then needed only three pitches to fan Tyler Stephenson. TJ Friedl ended the game with a groundout.
Key Moment
Bryson Stott’s two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, flipping a one-run deficit into a one-run lead.
Notes Worth Noting
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Spencer Steer stays hot: hits in nine straight games and 19 of his last 20, raising his average from .216 to .270 during that span.
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Nick Lodolo tied a career high with five walks, struggling to find the strike zone.
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Sal Stewart’s seventh-inning homer was his 11th of the year, the most by a Reds rookie before June in franchise history, surpassing Joey Votto’s 10 in 2008.
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The loss dropped Cincinnati to 24–24, their first time at .500 since April 1st when they were 3–3.
Up Next
Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Tuesday, May 19th, 6:40 PM ET
Chase Burns (5–1, 1.87 ERA) vs. Jesús Luzardo (3–3, 5.07 ERA)
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