Reds use two-out rallies to defeat Phillies

After a 1-5 road trip that saw many things go wrong for the Cincinnati Reds, our favorite team returned home and saw fortunes go their way, as they used a couple two-out rallies in a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Teams traded runs in the first inning, as the Phillies got on the board on a RBI single from old friend Nick Castellanos. The Reds answered almost immediately, after Jonathan India led off with a double and then scampered home on an error by Edmundo Sosa after India’s successful steal of third base. After a scoreless 2nd inning, the Reds rallied in the 3rd to take the lead for good.

With 2 outs and Jose Barrero standing on second, Spencer Steer started a string of what would be 4 straight 2-out hits to give the Reds a 4-1 lead. Along with Steer, Tyler Stephenson and Wil Myers each drove in runs in the inning. That was Myers first of 2 RBI on the evening, and that was enough to earn him the honors of the Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game, as he went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Reds’ starter Nick Lodolo had a little more trouble getting Phillies out this time around. He struck out 12 and allowed only 3 hits against this same team less than a week ago, but that wouldn’t be the case tonight. He still had a solid outing, as he allowed 2 runs on 8 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts over 5 innings of work. Credit to him for working around multiple base runners and finding ways to limit the damage.

The Reds were able to add insurance in both the 5th and 6th innings to give the Reds’ struggling bullpen plenty of cushion. In the 5th, after the Phillies had cut the lead to 4-2, the Reds used another timely hit by Wil Myers with 2 outs to bring home Stuart Fairchild. In the 6th, Jose Barrero laced a double to center to bring home Kevin Newman, who had been hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, to increase the lead to 6-2.

This recap wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the efforts of the bullpen tonight. After a truly awful week, they bounced back in a big way and allowed the Reds to cruise to victory tonight. The combination of Alex Young, Derek Law, and Alexis Diaz (with Young and Law doing most of the work there) combined to throw 4 shutout innings and slam the door on any potential Philadelphia comeback. Most impressive was Law, who managed to strike out 4 of the 7 batters he faced on the evening.

[Link to interactive FanGraphs WPA chart and box score]

Other Notes

• Here’s an update on Joey Votto:

• In other injury news, Lucas Sims threw an inning of relief last night in Louisville as a part of his rehab assignment. He threw 12 pitches and recorded a strikeout.
• The Reds take on the Phillies again tomorrow in hopes of guaranteeing a split of the series. Connor Overton (0-0, 10.13 ERA) will hope to get on the right track for the Reds. His opponent will be Taijuan Walker (0-1, 6.00 ERA), in a rematch of last Sunday’s match-up. First pitch is at 6:40 PM EDT.
• Tunes.