The Cincinnati Reds had three more hits on the night than the Philly Phanatic did and that usually doesn’t end well. And on Monday night it didn’t because the Phillies scored more runs than the Reds had hits in the 4-1 victory to open the 4-game series between the two teams.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (48-72) |
1 | 3 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Phillies (67-55) |
4 | 8 | 0 |
| W: Syndergaard (8-8) L: Cessa (3-2 SV: Bellatti (2) |
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| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
Cincinnati’s offense did next to nothing in the first four innings of the game, but Austin Romine hit a solo homer in the 5th inning – just the Reds second hit of the game – to cut into the Phillies lead and make it 3-1. Jonathan India’s single to lead off the 6th was the only time that Cincinnati had a baserunner until the 9th inning and he was erased on a double play. When the 9th inning began the team was down 4-1 and it was once again India getting on base, drawing a leadoff walk. He remained on first base as the next three batters failed to advance him with the game ending in a 4-1 defeat.
The Pitching
After rain delayed the game by an hour things got going just after 8pm in Philly. Luis Cessa got through the 1st inning by working around a 2-out single. Things didn’t go as smooth in the 2nd when he gave up back-to-back solo homers to Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott. That put the Phillies up 2-0.
The answer to the question of how many innings would Cessa give the team on the day was two. Joel Kuhnel took over for the 3rd inning. He didn’t get help from his defense, though some of what happened was on him. J.T. Realmuto singled with two outs and Nick Castellanos doubled into the right field corner. Realmuto slowed up at third base, but Jake Fraley overthrew the cutoff man and Realmuto sprinted for the plate as the ball slowed made it’s way to third base. Kuhnel retired the next batter to end the inning. He returned for the 4th and got the Phillies to go down in order.
Art Warren took over for Cincinnati in the 5th inning and back-to-back 2-out hits by Alex Bohm and J.T. Realmuto led to the 4th run for Philadelphia as they extended their lead to 4-1. Ross Detwiler fired 1.2 shutout innings from there and Hunter Strickland followed with 1.1 perfect innings to keep the score at 4-1 heading into the 9th. The Reds offense couldn’t muster a comeback on Monday night.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Philadelphia Phillies
Tuesday August 23rd, 7:05pm ET
Nick Lodolo (3-4, 4.12 ERA) vs Ranger Suarez (8-5, 3.31 ERA)
