CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Zack Wheeler struck out 14 over seven innings and Kyle Schwarber homered as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in front of 31,204.

Wheeler allowed one run on four hits and walked none, improving to 9-1. The right-hander retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced after a shaky start, striking out the side in the first and sixth innings. His fastball sat in the upper 90s and he used a sharp slider to generate 21 swings and misses. The only run he surrendered came on a solo homer by Eugenio Suárez in the seventh.

Jhoan Duran earned his 22nd save with a dominant ninth, striking out three while allowing one hit. He entered with a 4-1 lead and retired Spencer Steer on a groundout before fanning Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl to end the game.

Andrew Abbott took the loss for Cincinnati, falling to 5-5. The left-hander worked six innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out eight. He kept the Reds within striking distance but was betrayed by a two-out rally in the third.

The game’s decisive moment came in the top of the third with the score tied 0-0. Derek Hill led off with a double to center, his third of the season. Justin Crawford followed with a single to right, putting runners at first and third. Trea Turner grounded out to shortstop, scoring Hill and moving Crawford to second. Schwarber then crushed a 1-0 fastball from Abbott into the right-center field seats for his 31st home run, giving the Phillies a 3-0 lead. The blast extended Philadelphia’s lead and chased Abbott’s pitch count upward, forcing the Reds to go to their bullpen earlier than planned.

Philadelphia added a crucial insurance run in the eighth. Turner singled to lead off, and Schwarber followed with a single of his own. Bryce Harper grounded into a fielder’s choice, moving both runners into scoring position. Alec Bohm walked to load the bases, and Edmundo Sosa lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Turner for a 4-1 advantage.

Cincinnati’s only offense came in the bottom of the seventh when Suárez led off with a solo homer to left field, his ninth of the season. The blast cut the lead to 3-1 and briefly energized the crowd of 31,204, but Wheeler responded by retiring Nathaniel Lowe on a flyout, Spencer Steer on a popout and Tyler Stephenson on a strikeout to end the inning.

Philadelphia’s offense managed eight hits in the game. Schwarber finished 2 for 4 with the homer and two RBIs. Hill had two hits, including the double, and scored a run. Crawford collected two singles and scored a run as well. Turner scored twice and drove in a run despite going 1 for 5.

Cincinnati managed five hits total. Suárez had the solo homer and JJ Bleday and Tyler Stephenson each singled, while Sal Stewart also singled. The Reds struck out 16 times as a team, with Wheeler accounting for 14 of those.

The Phillies improved to 51-41, while the Reds fell to 41-49. Philadelphia had lost its previous game 15-1 to Kansas City on Monday but had won three of its last five entering the contest. Cincinnati had beaten Baltimore 3-2 on Sunday but dropped two of three in that series.

The bullpens on both sides performed well. Sam Moll tossed a scoreless seventh for Cincinnati, allowing one hit and striking out one. Pierce Johnson followed with a perfect eighth. Jonathan Bowlan pitched one-third of an inning in the eighth for Philadelphia, striking out the only batter he faced. Orion Kerkering recorded two outs in the eighth without allowing a hit. Julian Garcia worked two-thirds of an inning for the Reds, surrendering no hits.

Philadelphia will continue its series at Cincinnati on Wednesday and Thursday before traveling to Detroit for a three-game set against the Tigers. The Reds will host the Phillies again Wednesday and Thursday before welcoming the Chicago Cubs for a weekend series.

The Phillies entered Tuesday’s game as the betting favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Philadelphia 6, Cincinnati 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Phillies a 57.3 percent probability to win. The total score of five runs went over the over-under line of eight.