Burns strikes out nine as Reds top Phillies 4‑1

PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Chase Burns pitched six strong innings and the Cincinnati Reds used a pair of two-run innings to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, evening the season series at one game apiece and leaving both teams with identical 25-24 records.

Burns improved to 6-1 on the season, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out nine without issuing a walk. The right-hander extended a personal winning streak that included a dominant outing against Washington on May 14, when he tossed six shutout innings with seven strikeouts, and a victory over Houston on May 9 in which he allowed one run over six frames.

Tony Santillan earned his second save of the season with a perfect ninth inning, striking out two. Sam Moll and Pierce Johnson each contributed a scoreless inning of relief, combining for three strikeouts.

The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Trea Turner launched his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to left field off Burns. Turner finished 1 for 4 with the homer and the lone RBI for Philadelphia.

Cincinnati answered in the fourth. Elly De La Cruz led off with a triple, his first of the season, on a sharp line drive to left field that was deflected by center fielder Justin Crawford. Spencer Steer followed with a single, and Sal Stewart walked to load the bases. Dane Myers then lifted a sacrifice fly to right fielder Adolis García in foul territory, scoring De La Cruz. JJ Bleday followed with another sacrifice fly to center, scoring Steer and giving Cincinnati a 2-1 lead.

The Reds added two more runs in the seventh. Bleday led off with a double to right field, and Blake Dunn singled to put runners at the corners. Dunn advanced to second on a throwing error by first baseman Bryce Harper. After a walk to Tyler Stephenson loaded the bases, Ke’Bryan Hayes grounded into a force out at home as Bleday was cut down at the plate. Matt McLain then reached on a fielder’s choice, with Dunn scoring on the play. De La Cruz walked to force in Stephenson, extending the lead to 4-1.

Philadelphia threatened in the bottom of the seventh when Alec Bohm drew a leadoff walk, but Burns and the bullpen retired the next three batters, including two strikeouts. The Phillies managed only three hits all night, including an Alec Bohm double in the first inning and a Bryson Stott single in the second. Turner’s homer was the only extra-base hit for Philadelphia.

Jesús Luzardo took the loss for the Phillies, falling to 3-4. He allowed five hits and two earned runs over six innings, striking out five and walking two. Chase Shugart pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out three, and Jonathan Bowlan recorded two outs without allowing a hit.

Cincinnati’s offense totaled seven hits. De La Cruz went 1 for 3 with a triple, a walk and an RBI. Bleday was 1 for 3 with a double, a sacrifice fly and an RBI. Dunn had two hits, including a single and a run scored. The Reds grounded into two double plays and executed two sacrifice flies.

The game took 2 hours, 28 minutes in front of 37,527 fans. It was the second game of a two-game series, following Philadelphia’s 5-4 victory Monday night. The teams will meet again Wednesday in the series finale before Cincinnati travels to St. Louis for a weekend set and Philadelphia returns home to host Cleveland.

Cincinnati had lost four of its previous five games entering Tuesday, including a 10-3 defeat at Cleveland on Sunday and a 5-4 loss in Monday’s series opener. The Reds had won the previous day’s game against Washington 15-1 on May 14, one of their most lopsided victories of the season. Philadelphia had won two straight, having swept a weekend series at Pittsburgh with consecutive 6-0 shutouts on May 16 and 17 before Monday’s win.

Burns’ performance marked the third consecutive start in which he had allowed one or zero earned runs. Over his last three outings, covering 18 innings, he had surrendered two earned runs while striking out 18 and walking two. His 1.50 ERA over that span helped stabilize a Cincinnati rotation that had been inconsistent in late April and early May.

The Phillies’ offense, which had produced six runs in each of its previous two games, was stifled by Burns and the Reds bullpen. Philadelphia struck out 13 times overall, with Burns accounting for nine of those. Turner’s homer was the only extra-base hit for the home team, and the Phillies did not advance a runner past first base after the third inning.

Cincinnati’s defense turned a double play in the second inning, when Edmundo Sosa grounded into a 5-4-3 twin killing after Bryson Stott had singled. The Reds also benefited from a successful challenge in the seventh inning that overturned a force play call at first base, allowing McLain to reach and Dunn to score.

Elly De La Cruz, the Reds’ shortstop, made several defensive plays and also reached base twice. His triple in the fourth inning sparked the first scoring rally. Spencer Steer, playing first base, had a single and scored a run.

The game’s outcome defied pregame expectations. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Philadelphia Phillies 7, Cincinnati Reds 3, and Interstat’s ELO system had given the Phillies a 61.30 percent probability of winning. Philadelphia had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of five runs went over the over/under line of 8.5.