Then came one out in the sixth inning. And that’s when it all unraveled.
Already trailing 1-0, the Phillies watched the Cincinnati Reds — and one very familiar face — turn a tense pitchers’ duel into a runaway. Former Phillie Austin Hays doubled home Elly De La Cruz from first, then Noelvi Marte followed with his second RBI single of the night. Brandon Marsh had a shot to cut down Hays at the plate but air-mailed the throw, picking up an error. Sánchez then compounded it by sailing his own throw into the outfield trying to nab Marte going to third. By the time Marte crossed the plate, a one-run deficit had turned into four.
It got worse. Much worse.
In the seventh, Miguel Andújar came up with the bases loaded against Jordan Romano. Six straight sliders. The sixth one wound up over the wall in left for a grand slam. A 4-0 game was suddenly 8-0 — and Romano’s ERA ballooned to 7.24 in another rough night for the Phillies’ bullpen. It was the eighth time this season he’s been tagged for multiple runs in a game.
The Phillies’ bats, meanwhile, never solved Greene. Making his first big-league start since June 3 after a groin injury, the 23-year-old blew through six scoreless innings, allowed just three hits, struck out six, and didn’t walk anyone.
Before the sixth, Sánchez was keeping pace. His changeup was nasty enough to get four of his six strikeouts in the first five innings. The lone blemish was a Marte double in the fourth. When Sánchez fanned Tyler Stephenson to end the fifth, it was strikeout No. 154 for the season — breaking his career high from last year. He left after six innings, charged with four runs (three earned) on seven hits.
The 8-0 loss snapped the Phillies’ three-series win streak and handed them their first series loss since the end of July. Even so, they still hold a 4.5-game lead over the Mets in the NL East and remain a half-game ahead of the Padres for a first-round bye.
Now it’s on to Washington for a four-game set with the Nationals, starting Thursday night at 6:45 p.m. And they’ll be looking to prove that one bad inning — OK, two bad innings — in Cincinnati doesn’t have to turn into a bad week.
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