Phillies’ sloppy sixth inning highlights a shutout loss to the Reds in series finale
The Phillies had two throwing errors on Cincinnati’s Noelvi Marte single in the sixth, which he scored on for a little-league home run. On offense, the Phillies managed just three hits.
CINCINNATI — Cristopher Sánchez’s throw whizzed past a diving Otto Kemp and wound up back in left field.
That’s where the ball started, when Cincinnati’s Noelvi Marte deposited an 81.9 mph broken-bat single in an empty patch of outfield in the sixth inning. Brandon Marsh’s throw to the plate was too high for J.T. Realmuto to apply the tag on a sliding Austin Hays, and the ball bounced away.
Sánchez snatched it up, but rushed the throw trying to catch Marte at third. The second consecutive error on the play allowed the Reds right fielder to score easily and complete a little-league home run.
Even that wasn’t the low point in the Phillies’ 8-0 loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday night.
» READ MORE: Aaron Nola will rejoin the Phillies for their series in Washington. Is a six-man rotation up next?
“Just two bad games,” Bryce Harper said. “We didn’t play well, the last two. … So got to clean that up. Obviously going to D.C., big weekend ahead, and hopefully win the series there.”
Jordan Romano, who hadn’t allowed an earned run since July 25, took over for Sánchez in the seventh. A walk and two singles loaded the bases for Miguel Andujar, who barreled up a slider at the bottom of the zone for a two-out grand slam.
Romano could have been out of the inning before Andujar came up to the plate, but Elly De La Cruz beat out a single to the right side of the infield. Both Harper and Romano broke late to cover first base, and the speedy De La Cruz kept the inning alive.
“Harp got a little bit far away,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s done that in the past, and we make the out. But it’s with De La Cruz. It’s tough to get back, and it’s tough for Romano to get there, too. He’s just so fast.”
After the start of Wednesday’s game was delayed an hour by rain, the Phillies offense struggled for the second consecutive night. Reds starter Hunter Greene, pitching in the majors for the first time since June 3, held the Phillies scoreless over six innings in his return from injury.
“Good ride on his heater. Good slider tonight, too,” Harper said. “The first time I faced him. It’s tough seeing the guy for the first time, especially when he’s got that kind of stuff.”
The Phillies, now 69-51 with a 4½-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East, mustered only three hits total. They finished 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left five on base. Harper, Rafael Marchán, and Nick Castellanos went down in order in the ninth against Emilio Pagán.
» READ MORE: Kyle Schwarber catches ceremonial pitches ahead of the game in Cincinnati: ‘It’s always fun’
Sánchez allowed one walk in the fourth inning, which came back to bite him when Marte doubled off his changeup. It was one of five hits the Reds had on Sánchez’s signature pitch, which is usually his most effective weapon. But on Wednesday, his changeup generated only five whiffs on 22 swings.
“I think it was a bad start,” Sánchez said through a team interpreter. “I mean, we lost the game, and I always go out and try to have as many scoreless innings as I can to get the team in the fight. And today, this wasn’t the case.”
Across their two straight losses to the Reds (64-58), the Phillies have scored only one run: a ninth-inning solo shot from Harper on Tuesday night.
“We faced pretty good pitching on this trip, too,” Thomson said. “But you got to find a way to beat good pitching.”