The Phillies snapped a season-high seven-game losing streak with a dramatic 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the rain at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night.
Rookie Maikel Franco tied the game with a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. The Phils won it on a pinch-hit single by Darin Ruf in the ninth.
Ruf’s flare to right field scored Odubel Herrera with the winning run. He had led off the frame with a double and moved to third on a bunt by Carlos Ruiz.
The win was just the Phillies’ second of the season when trailing after seven innings. They are now 2-30 in those situations.
Starting pitching report
Sean O’Sullivan allowed nine hits and four runs over 5 2/3 innings. He has a 5.03 ERA in seven starts.
Cincinnati right-hander Johnny Cueto returned from the disabled list (sore elbow) and held the Phillies to two runs, one of which was unearned, over six innings. Cueto walked none and struck out four.
Bullpen report
Inherited runners have been a big problem for the Phillies’ bullpen, which had entered the night allowing 50 percent (the highest mark in the majors) to score. Justin De Fratus managed to strand two runners in the sixth, however, and Jake Diekman, who has struggled this season, pitched a scoreless seventh. Luis Garcia added a scoreless inning in the eighth.
Jonathan Papelbon pitched scoreless ball in the top of the ninth and got the win.
Reds reliever Jumbo Diaz gave up the game-tying homer to Franco and was charged with a blown save, but his defense let him down.
Tony Cingrani got the loss.
At the plate
Chase Utley had three hits to raise his batting average above .200 for the first time this season. He finished the night at .207. He was at .099 on May 8.
One of Utley’s hits was his fourth homer of the season and first since May 1. It came in the sixth inning and cut the Reds’ lead to 4-2.
The Phillies were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, extending their slump to 1 for 33 in those situations, before Franco’s game-tying homer.
For Cincinnati, Joey Votto had an RBI double and an RBI single. Marlon Byrd and Zack Cosart had back-to-back doubles in the fourth to score a run and Billy Hamilton laid down a suicide squeeze for the Reds’ fourth run.
In the field
Cincinnati third baseman Todd Frazier made two errors.
Cody Asche, the Phillies’ new leftfielder, made a nice catch at the wall to end the top of the sixth.
Freddy Galvis made his eighth error.
Reds rightfielder Jay Bruce misplayed a liner from Ryan Howard into a two-out double in the bottom of the eighth. It was costly as the next batter, Franco, tied the game with a two-run homer.
Byrd hurt
Byrd, the Reds' leftfielder and former Phillie, suffered a fractured right wrist when he was hit by a pitch from O'Sullivan in the sixth inning.
Minor matters
Pitcher Aaron Nolan and first baseman Rhys Hoskins were named Phillies’ minor-league players of the month for May (see story).
Up next
The series continues Wednesday night with Cole Hamels (5-4, 2.91) going against Reds right-hander Mike Leake (2-4, 4.66).