Brandon Phillips Powers Cincinnati Reds to 5-4 Win Over Pirates in 13 Innings

W: Pedro Villarreal (1-2)

L: Rob Scahill (2-4)

The Cincinnati Reds have loved the early inning scoring at PNC Park this week, but it still took a Brandon Phillips home run in the 13th inning for them to get the win over the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 on getaway night.

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For the third straight game, the Reds scored in the first inning when Todd Frazier drove in Phillips with an RBI single up the middle that almost hit pitcher A.J. Burnett in the head. Frazier also tied the game at four in the seventh with his 24^th home run of the season. He finished the game 3-for-6 with three RBI. This is your daily reminder to keep voting for him to make the All-Star team as a starter. It probably sounds like a broken record, but just keep voting for the man. He deserves every vote he gets.

Anthony DeSclafani pitched decently for most of the game and got himself out of trouble in a couple of innings. DeSclafani had one bad inning which was magnified by a Eugenio Suarez error, his second of the series. That error led to three unearned runs after RBI hits by Jordy Mercer and pitcher A.J. Burnett. DeSclafani went six innings and gave up six hits on four runs (though only one run was earned), while walking two and striking out five. If it wasn’t for the Suarez error, he would’ve been in line to get the win.

The bullpen of Burke Badenhop, J.J. Hoover, and Ryan Mattheus pitched three scoreless innings. Hoover and Mattheus both worked out of trouble in their inning of work. Carlos Contreras pitched the 10^th, and despite allowing a leadoff walk, was the beneficiary of a couple of force outs at second. Aroldis Chapman came in to face the bottom of the order in the 11^th (yes, a non-save situation on the road). I, like most Reds fans, found it confusing as to why he faced the bottom of the order, but Pedro Villarreal pitched to the middle of the order in the 12^th. However, it worked. I guess that’s why Bryan Price is the major league manager and I’m watching from my couch.

Other Notes:

• Phillips was the star of this game. He went 3-for-7 with two runs scored and three RBI, including the game-winning home run. He finished a double shy of the cycle and also turned a slick behind-the-back double play in the eighth.
• Billy Hamilton ran wild on the Pirates this series, going 5-for-6 in stolen bases. He now has an MLB-leading 36 on the season.
• Since Marlon Byrd’s return from the disabled list, he is 8-for-24 (.333), including two hits in Thursday’s game. Unfortunately, he also swung and missed at ball four with two runners on in the 11^th.
• Votto extended his on-base streak to 32 with a single in the seventh. He also singled in the 11^th to finish the game 2-for-7.

Up Next: The Reds start a three-game series in New York on Friday at 7:10 ET at Citi Field. Johnny Cueto (4-4, 2.98 ERA) gets the start for the Reds against Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard (2-4, 4.03 ERA).

Next: Three Reds prospects named to Futures Game