The Philadelphia Phillies had a perfect Independence Day of baseball ruined by the Cincinnati Reds following a 9-6 loss at Citizens Bank Park. Nick Castellanos totaled half of the run production on the afternoon for Philadelphia, but it was not enough to overcome the pitching struggles on the day.
Luzardo Struggled Early Against Reds
Things began well for starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo who opened with a 1-2-3 inning to start the afternoon. Phillies batters took their swings in the bottom of the first inning and found success. Alec Bohm’s sacrifice fly scored the first run on the day before Castellanos blasted a ball into the third row of the seats located in left-center field of the spacious ballpark for a 3-0 advantage.
Cincinnati pushed across a run in the bottom of the second on a Rece Hinds fielder’s choice for a 3-1 ballgame before Luzardo struck out Santiago Espinal to end the top of the second inning. Reds starter Andrew Abbott pitched a clean bottom of the second to hold the score at a two-run disadvantage for the road squad.
Luzardo unraveled in the third inning allowing six consecutive hits and five runs to cross the plate for a 6-3 Reds lead. Former Phillies outfielder Austin Hays crushed a double to right field that flipped the scoreboard on Philadelphia. Luzardo was removed from the game without recording an out in the third frame, before Joe Ross stepped in to shut down Cincinnati. “I thought he [Luzardo] was really good in the first inning,” Phillies skipper Rob Thomson said postgame. “Then, he had that long inning in the second … they were laying off the slider a little. So, yeah, he just lost command.”
Castellanos Attempts To Lead Comeback in the 3rd Inning
The Phillies loaded the bases quickly in the bottom of the third inning, but managed only one run on a fielder’s choice by Castellanos, his 3rd RBI of the day, to cut the lead to 6-4. Realmuto struck out and Otto Kemp hit a ball hard to the warning track in center to end the inning.
Cincinnati scratched another run across the board in the fourth for a 7-4 advantage. The Phillies put the first two runners on base in the bottom half of the inning, but Trea Turner grounded out and Kyle Schwarber hit into an atypical double play with Edmundo Sosa getting called out on a close play at home plate. Thomson wanted to challenge the play, but the decision came too late and the Phillies were not permitted to challenge the play by the men in bright blue umpire shirts. “We ran out of time on getting the proper angle,” Thomson said. “So, I still don’t know if he was safe or out.”
Cincinnati Piles on More Runs in the Middle Innings
The Reds threatened again in the fifth inning posting two more runs on Phillies pitching. Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson reached base before pinch hitter Will Benson’s single scored the eighth run, while Santiago Espinal’s fielder’s choice made the score 9-4.
Edmundo Sosa walked before s Brandon Marsh pinch-hit single pressured Cincinnati pitching in the sixth. Schwarber launched a ball 370-feet to the baseball-player sized green wall which bounded off the glove of Hays and back into the playing field to score Sosa and Marsh for a 9-6 ballgame.
Phillies reliever Daniel Robert struck out the side in the seventh after walking the leadoff batter to hold the game with the Phillies trailing three runs. Jordan Romano did the same to get through the eighth inning, as did Max Lazar in the ninth frame.
Alec Bohm’s Strikeout Was a Huge Missed Opportunity
Philadelphia attempted to rally in the eighth inning as they managed to load the bases for Alec Bohm with two outs, but a called third strike left the Phillies third baseman shaking his head as he tossed his bat away in disgust as he walked back to the dugout. When asked what he saw on the play, Thomson provided a short reply, “It was a strike.”
The Phillies had plenty of offensive chances but could not capitalize against the Reds in the first game of the series. Philadelphia left 10 runners stranded on base in the ballgame, and batted just 3-13 with runners in scoring position over the three hour and ten minute contest.
Turner & Schwarber Help Reach Phillies Milestone
With his run scored in the first inning, Phillies shortstop Trea Turner scored his 60th run on the 2025 campaign to become the second Phillies player in history to have 100 or more hits, 60 or more runs scored, and 20 or more stolen bases before the All-Star break joining Lenny Dykstra from that iconic 1993 Phillies squad that reached the World Series.
For the first time since 2009, multiple Phillies have scored 60 or more runs this season — Turner (60) and Schwarber (61). Three Phillies reached the 60-run mark before the mid-summer All-Star Classic in 2009 – Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, and Jayson Werth.
Suarez vs. Lodolo on Saturday Afternoon
The Phillies and the Reds renew the hardball battle tomorrow afternoon for a 4:05 PM EST. Ranger Suarez (7-2, 2.00 ERA) is scheduled to battle Nick Lodolo (5-5, 3.52 ERA) in the middle contest of three games at Citizens Bank Park this weekend.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
