Categories: News

Bad third inning from Sánchez, Phillies defense ends winning streak

Cristopher Sanchez pitched only three innings in a loss to the Reds on Tuesday night. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Reds 8, Phillies 1

The Phillies’ early winning streak is no more.

They scored first in the opening frame for the fifth time in the last seven games, but that was all as the scrappy Cincinnati Reds made starter Cristopher Sánchez work in an 8-1 loss that snapped the Phillies’ seven-game winning streak. The Phillies are now 15-9.

A series of unfortunate events in a four-run third inning did him in.

He had a runner on first with two out, threw a wild pitch that allowed the runner to advance and gave up a hit to Christian Encarnacion-Strand. The runner Tyler Stephenson scored and the throw in from Cristian Pache hit Stephenson to allow Encarnacion-Strand to advance all the way to third. Elly De La Cruz then walked and later stole second on Sánchez, who is slow to the plate. But Sánchez could have gotten out of the inning with only one run allowed. Trea Turner made an incredible stop on a tough ground ball to shortstop, but Alec Bohm could not make the grab at first base, allowing two more to score with a fourth run coming in later on a Santiago Espinal single.

Highlights

Back-to-back doubles from J.T. Realmuto and Bohm gave the Phillies an early 1-0 lead in the first.

Johan Rojas made a jumping catch at the wall in center field in the bottom of the fourth to rob Spencer Steer of extra bases. He was down and appeared to be grabbing his hip after the play. Assistant athletic trainer Christian Bermudez and manager Rob Thomson came out to check on Rojas, who stayed in the game.

De La Cruz hit a two-run home run against Yunior Marte in his second inning of work in the fifth.

Reds manager David Bell was not happy after Stuart Fairchild was hit in the forearm by Ricardo Pinto in the eighth inning. Pinto nearly hit Espinal with a pitch in the face in the first at-bat. Espinal responded with a home run two pitches later. Pinto’s days on the Phillies roster are numbered.

Notes

The Phillies had a chance to get back in the game in the top of the fifth and failed to capitalize. Reds starter Andrew Abbott walked the bottom three hitters in the Phillies order to load the bases. He struck out Kyle Schwarber and reliever Fernando Cruz struck out Turner and got J.T. Realmuto to line out to center field to end the inning.
Edmundo Sosa’s walk in the top of the fifth was his first of the season.
Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm both threw scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh innings. Kerkering and Strahm last pitched on April 19.