Weston Wilson ignites Phillies’ 4-1 comeback victory over Reds in series opener
The Phillies scored all four runs in the eighth inning, sparked by Wilson's RBI double. Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer -- his 42nd -- later in the inning.
CINCINNATI — The Phillies’ Edmundo Sosa knelt over home plate, his arms outstretched in the dirt, for a beat.
He was catching his breath. He completed a long run around the bases — with a minor collision with Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain along the way — to tie the game in the eighth inning.
Nine-hole hitter Weston Wilson hit a line drive that trickled into the left-field corner, scoring Sosa from first. Sosa likely would have been granted home regardless due to the obstruction, but ended up diving into the plate without a throw.
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The bottom of the order had come through against Cincinnati starter Andrew Abbott, who held the Phillies to three hits until the big eighth inning. Wilson’s RBI double kicked off a four-run rally, as the Phillies came from behind once again for a 4-1 series-opening win.
“Guys are stepping up,” Wilson said. “It’s nice to take pressure off the top of the lineup and help them relax as well.”
Wilson, who typically starts against left-handed pitchers, has made the most of his opportunities lately. He also knocked in the go-ahead run against the Rangers on Sunday.
“It’s something that I’ve been accustomed to over the last couple years,” he said. “That’s my role playing against lefties and just doing the same thing I’ve been doing, getting prepared in the cage. ... When that game time rolls around, you kind of just go compete.”
The top of the order kept things rolling. Trea Turner singled to drive in Wilson for the go-ahead run, chasing Abbott from the game. Kyle Schwarber immediately added some insurance off reliever Tony Santillan with a two-run home run in his home state.
“It’s always nice when you have family and friends in the stands and feel like they came to the game for a good reason,” said Schwarber, who grew up in Middletown, Ohio. “Not a bad one. You don’t do something stupid out there.”
Abbott took a perfect game into the fifth inning, until J.T. Realmuto broke it up with a leadoff double to right-center field. He was stranded at third base. The Phillies also led off the sixth and seventh innings with a hit, but were unable to capitalize.
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“[Abbott’s] command was on point where he was backdooring his sweeper to righties, he was executing sweepers away to the lefties,” Schwarber said. “Fastballs down and away, fastballs up. Felt like he was getting some really good upshoot ride, things like that. That was kind of deceptive, and he kept us off-balance.”
The Phillies came close to tying the game in the seventh, when Bryce Harper tagged up from third on a Nick Castellanos flyout to right field. It was not quite deep enough, and Harper was thrown out by Noelvi Marte by a foot for an inning-ending double play.
Until their bats heated up, the pitching staff kept the Phillies in the game. Starter Taijuan Walker held the Reds to just one run over six innings. He needed 27 pitches to get out of the first, allowing a run on three hits. The inning was extended when Miguel Andújar beat out the throw from Sosa for what was ruled an infield single.
Walker settled in after that, inducing quick outs. He was replaced in the seventh by Jordan Romano, who tossed a 1-2-3 inning.
“Just stayed in the zone,” Walker said. “The first inning, seemed like after the first pitch, they were pretty aggressive, so just throwing something in the zone. Two-seam and cutter were working really well today to get weak contact.”
Walker lowered his season ERA to 3.39. It’s a stark turnaround from where he was a year ago. After prolonged struggles in 2024, he was demoted to the bullpen at the end of August and left off the postseason roster.
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“I busted my butt in the offseason,” Walker said. “I wanted to come back this year and just show that I worked hard and was ready to get back on rotation. I think I’ve definitely proved that. Especially going back and forth, still staying calm and under control and just within myself.”
David Robertson made his season debut in the eighth. He walked the first batter on four pitches and also gave up a single, but escaped the inning unscathed with a groundout.
Manager Rob Thomson had hoped to get Robertson a lower-leverage spot for his debut, but a thin bullpen — Matt Strahm had pitched three straight days and Jhoan Duran two straight — forced his hand.
Orion Kerkering took the mound in the ninth and tossed a clean frame for his third career save.
“Romano hasn’t had a full inning in a long time, and he came in and threw strikes. Stuff was really good, sharp slider,” Thomson said. “D-Rob getting his feet wet in pretty high leverage ... He settled down and pitched great, and Kerkering was fantastic.”
The Phillies collected their 30th comeback win of the season. They increased their division lead to six games over the Mets in the National League East.