The Phillies secured an early road lead at Great American Ballpark, but could only watch as the advantage slipped away in the middle innings of a forgettable 11-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. The home squad plated 11 runs on 11 hits, with the vast majority of the damage coming against the Phillies bullpen.
Philadelphia handed the ball to spot starter Alan Rangel after he was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier in the day. The 28-year-old starter survived 3 ⅓ innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out five batters. He departed the game with Philly trailing by a single run, 3-2, after allowing a two-run home run to first-time MLB All-Star Sal Stewart in the third inning and outfielder Noelvi Marte in the fourth frame.
Interim manager Don Mattingly called for Tanner Banks out of the bullpen, but that decision turned out to be a disastrous one. The Phillies reliever allowed back-to-back-to-back round-trippers to Elly Del La Cruz, Stewart, and JJ Bleday to watch a one-run ballgame quickly become a five-run deficit at 7-2.
Bryce Harper scored on Bryson Stott’s sacrifice fly to trim the hometown lead to 7-3, while J.T. Realmuto provided a glimmer of hope with a solo home run in the sixth. However, Bleday’s RBI single in the bottom of the frame combined with a bases-clearing double from Marte inflated the Reds' lead to an insurmountable 11-4 advantage.
Overall, the Phillies bullpen allowed eight hits and eight earned runs in 5 ⅔ innings as Banks and Jose Alvarado (four earned runs) had particularly forgettable outings.
Kyle Schwarber put the final odd digit on the scoreboard with a 387-foot home run to extend his MLB-leading total to 31 homers. He was 1-for-4 on the evening as the Phillies generated only eight hits against Reds pitchers in the midweek matchup.
The rubber match of the three-game set will decide the series victor tomorrow night in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jesus Luzardo, a new addition to the N.L. pitching staff, is expected to receive his final start ahead of the annual 2026 MLB All-Star Game next week in Philadelphia, PA. Game time for the series finale is set for 7:10 pm ET.
