Down a run in the top of the ninth, designated hitter Jake Fraley pulled a three-run double into the right-field corner to lift the Reds to a 6-4 face-saving victory.
Before Sunday, the Reds disputed that Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love. They had lost six straight in Philly and eight of the last nine to the defending National League champions.
And slap a whole box of stars on the Reds much maligned and beleaguered bullpen.
Starter Connor Overton was lifted in the fifth inning after a walk and the Reds in arrears, 4-2.
From there, Fernando Cruz, Kevin Herget and Ian Gibaut stymied the Phillies on no runs and one hit over the final four innings.
Herget, called up from Class AAA Louisville early last week, made his Reds debut in the seventh and pitched two innings, giving up no runs and one hit. It earned him his first major-league win after he was rescued from the independent leagues.
Gibaut pitched a flawless ninth with two strikeouts to obtain his second major league save.
The Reds trailed, 4-3, entering the ninth and faced hard-throwing Seranthony Dominguez.
He quickly retired Kevin Newman on a ground ball. But eight of his next nine pitches were out of the strike zone and he walked Stuart Fairchild and Jonathan India. Before India’s walk, Fairchild boldly stole second, only the second steal in six attempts by the Reds this season.
TJ Friedl nubbed an infield hit between third and shortstop to fill the bases and bring up Fraley. Dominguez blew two fastballs past him, and the Reds were one strike and another out from defeat.
Dominguez tried a third fastball and Fraley yanked it into the right-field corner, clearing the bases and giving the Reds the 6-4 win, ending a three-game losing streak and leveling their record at 4-4.
“That was huge for the team,” said Fraley in a post-game interview with Bally Sports. “We stuck around the first two games (losses) and we had a tough one losing in the ninth (Saturday). To do that and do it as team, to battle back was huge. They have a great pitching staff and we hung around in every game. For us to get this game, especially the way we did, is huge.”
Of his game-winning hit, Fraley said, “Dominguez has a power fastball, everybody knows that. We know he is going to throw it, that’s what he likes to throw, so I was trying to be on time.
“He threw me a good one on the first pitch. The next one was a little two-seamer out, a very good pitch,” said Fraley. “I knew they wanted to go in because I was a little bit late. He left the last one a little bit over the plate and I didn’t get the barrel on it, but I stayed with it and was able to shoot it out there for a hit.”
Was he on time? Like the Swiss railroad. He may not have barreled it, but three runners barreled around the bases.
Overton, moved up a spot in the rotation to make the Sunday start, gave up runs in the first and second to fall behind, 2-0. The Reds tied it, 2-2 in the fourth on Tyler Stephenson’s single that extended his hitting streak to eight games and a ground ball RBI by Jason Vosler.
But Overton gave up a single to Bryson Stott in the bottom of the fourth and a home run to Alec Bohm, pushing the Phillies in front, 4-2.
“I thought my stuff looked great,” said Overton, who gave up four runs, six hits and three walks during his five innings. “My change-up worked really well. I had some weak contact for some bad luck, but that’s part of the game.”
He threw two of those changeups for strikes to Bohm, but the third one nearly knocked down the Liberty Bell, a two-run homer.
“The shape of my change-up was pretty good, a lot of depth to it,” Overton added. “It was either he was thinking we wouldn’t triple up (with another change-up) or he was sitting on it. Obviously, he was sitting on it.”
About the Reds finally taking one away from the Phillies, Overton said, “Playing here is tough. We were in every game this whole series. These guys are awesome, they never quit fighting and battling.”
Herget was beaming a smile as wide as the Schuylkill River after his two scoreless innings that gave him his first MLB win.
“I was just trying to keep the score where it’s at,” he said. “It was exciting and a lot of fun as well. It was cool, too, because I grew up in this area in New Jersey and that makes it a little nicer, too.”
Down 4-2, the Reds crept to within 4-3 in the eighth when Wil Myers drew a walk and scored on Vosler’s double over right fielder Nick Castellanos’ head.
All that was left was for Fraley’s three-run rip in the top of the ninth and Gibaut’s finishing touch in the bottom of ninth. He caught both Castellanos and Stott gaping at strike three calls and ended it on a weak fly ball from Bohm.
The Reds move on to Atlanta for a three-game series against the Braves, beginning Monday night.
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