Ahead 3-1 in the fifth with two outs and Rhys Hoskins at the plate, Harper attempted to steal home but was thrown out on a close play. At the time, it just seemed to be a questionable decision. However, Phillies' starter Aaron Nola encountered some trouble in the seventh, and Jose Alvarez surrendered two hits on four pitches. The Reds went on to secure a 4-3 win at Citizens Bank Park, snapping a four-game Phillies winning streak.
Harper's decision proved to be crucial.
"I spoke to Bryce about that," Kapler said. "So, he has been very aggressive on the bases and he's won some games for us with his aggressive baserunning. He and I spoke though and he now understands that was a little over aggressive."
On the mound, Nola collected seven strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. He surrendered three runs on four hits while issuing three walks. He threw 104 pitches, 70 for strikes.
"I thought he looked really good for most the game, and even in that inning I thought he looked good," Kapler said. "He was nearing the end of our comfort level as it relates to how deep we can go with his pitches. He was sitting there in the mid-100's with some out we still needed to get."
Hoskins finished 1-for-4 on the afternoon and collected two RBIs, snapping an eight-game drought - the longest of his career.
The club welcomes Arizona to Citizens Bank Park on Monday to open a three-game set. Jerad Eickhoff will toe the rubber for the Phillies.
(Updating ...)
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