The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 13-0

CINCINNATI – They trapped Matt Strahm on the mound in the third inning on Saturday. Entire Veles Infield was Rob Thompson, also the manager, checking the pitcher’s left thumb.

“Let’s go!” Shutterham finally said.

Two strokes later, Strahm was gone. So did the game.

Strahm sliced ​​his thumb on the seam in the ball during a warm-up infield opening, turning assistant athletic trainer Joe Rauch into baseball’s equivalent of a boxing man. It didn’t help, either, that Strahm needed 26 runs to score two in the third inning.

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“The pitch count in that inning was high, considering the thumbs up, so I didn’t want to take any chances,” said Thompson.

Andrew Bellatti replaced Strahm and hooked his slider on the first three-run pitch by Wil Myers to open a five-run lead. It was the Phillies’ biggest hit in a 13-0 humiliation that featured the indignities of another bad decision and sharp fielder (Josh Harrison) who white-flagged the eighth inning – and allowed five runs.

Never mind that the Reds lost 100 games last year and they’re still in rebuilding mode. They played the Phillies even over the most recent weekend, with the final game of the season between the two teams set on Sunday.

The Phillies wouldn’t mind leaving Great American Ball Park behind, and it’s not that the defending National League champions have performed particularly well anywhere else in a 5-10 opening, their worst start in 15 games since a 99-loss 2015 season. .

“There is reason to be disappointed,” said player Alec Boom. “We didn’t play the cleanest baseball. But all we can do is keep showing up tomorrow and work on fixing it. You’re not going to sit back and criticize today or past losses. We just have to move on.”

Thompson elected not to go forward with Strahm, though the left seemed to regroup from a bloody thumb and put runners on first base in the third inning. He struck out Stuart Fairchild, then won a seven-pitch duel with Tyler Stephenson by getting him to chase a slider into the dirt.

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But Strahm struggled with his command even before he cut his thumb, a problem he said he “couldn’t really put my thumb on,” an unintended pun. He gave up a solo homer to Myers in the second inning on a belt-high fastball. He trailed the count for all but one of the 13 batters he faced.

Strahm also threw just 61 and 59 pitches in his previous two games as he continued to stretch after spending two-thirds of spring training in a relief role. With Strahm on the 67th pitch, Thompson decided not to let him face Myers again.

“Once Topper gets to that first step, being the second visit, it doesn’t matter what words I have, it’s already what it is,” said Stram. “I’ll throw the ball for him to take, and whenever he takes it, it’s his team. You just have to respect him.”

Pilatti throws his slider two-thirds of the time. It’s his best playground. But not this time.

“They were sitting on it,” Thompson said. He left it on the plate. [Myers] Attack her.”

Feeling chaotic

Of all the Phillies’ negative trends so far, here are the most troubling: They’ve made nine — nine! – Outs on rules, mostly in the majors. They’re going for a staggering 97 hits, not including pickpocketing or caught thefts. They made 36 all last season.

It is possible that the Phillies were trying to be aggressive because strikeouts with runners in the scoring position were rare. But the last bad decision came amid a five-run deficit in the fifth inning.

With two out, Trea Turner attempted an extra base after the Reds’ Jose Barrero hit a wide throw from first base. There is no chance. Myers recovered the ball, which didn’t go far, and easily threw to Turner at second.

“I think the ball kicked a little farther than he thought, but in this case, you have to make sure,” said Thompson. “Because we were five innings apart at the time. It looks bad.”

It was the fourth time the Phillies had a primary win as a runner-up. They also have two runners at third base and home plate. Thompson went on to talk about the Phillies needing to “clean this stuff up”.

“If you look at it, they’re all offensive fouls, guys trying to take an extra base, guys trying to make plays, guys trying to score runs,” Bohm said. “While it’s obviously not what you want, I think it’s easier to hold back than trying to be more aggressive. That’s something that will work itself out, I think.”

We’re just talking about, ‘Let the game come to you,’ Thompson said. Don’t try to force it. We want to control aggression. Just gotta keep pounding it at home.”

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Sosa sidelined

Third baseman Edmundo Sosa struck out in the sixth inning with what the Phillies described as “lower back pain” that developed during the game. Thompson said Sosa will be re-evaluated on Sunday.

The Phillies relieve oneself selected McKinley Moore to Third A Lehigh Valley after the game. No corresponding move has been announced, but it’s possible they will add a new arm for the series finale. If Sosa needs to be included in the injured list, player Scott Kingery is a possibility.

Stott still stands out

On the plus side, Bryson Stott extended his season-opening streak with a double lead on the fourth pitch of the game. The 15-game run is the longest by any player in a season since Minnesota’s Brian Dozier hit 17 straight in 2018.

The longest modern Phillies hitting streak to start the season was Willie “Puddin’ Head” Jones of 16 for the Whiz Kids in 1950.