OOTP 4/9: Phillies 5, Reds 2

After a day off, the Phillies were back at in Cincinnati, taking on a Reds team that came into this one a blistering 8-3. They had their ace, Trevor Bauer, on the hill who had an ERA under 1. It didn’t look like it would be a good day for the team, but they came out swinging.

The scoring started in the second inning when J.T. Realmuto led off with a double. After Didi Gregorius flew out to left, Nick Williams, giving Jay Bruce a breather, connected with 1-0 changeup and ripped a two run home run, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead. The score held into the fifth, when Jean Segura doubled, Rhys Hoskins walked, then Bryce Harper singled Segura home from second, extending the lead to 3-0. In the sixth inning, Segura’s turn to play run producer came up when he hit a two-run single, making the lead 5-0. That was all that they got, but it was all Jake Arrieta would need.

Williams was the unquestioned offensive star of this game, going 2-3 with that home run, a single and a walk, but it was Arrieta who would take the honors as player of the game.

Arrieta was brilliant, going 8 incredibly strong innings. The only blemishes on his game were a run scoring single in the sixth and a solo home run allowed in the seventh. It was probably his finest start as a Phillie. Hector Neris pitched a perfect ninth to get his third save of the season.

There are still some issues with the lineup, led by Hoskins hitting only .174 out of the second spot in the order, but his .356 OBP is going to keep him there for the time being. It was nice to see Harper get another RBI, but more production would be useful.

The two teams will continue their four game tilt tomorrow, with Zach Eflin on the bump.