Scott Schebler doubled home rwo ninth inning runs to lead the Reds to a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
"It was a big night for him," Bryan Price said. "He has big power to left center but the ball wasn't carrying tonight"
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Schebler struck out three times before he delivered in the ninth inning.
"I struggled my first couple of at-bats. I had a lot of adrenaline. I didn't even feel the cold," Schebler said. "I talked to Jay (Bruce) he told me you don't have to hit the ball 500 feet and that this game is going to come down to you. It did."
The two thirdbasemen provided the offense for both the Phillies and Reds.
Maikel Franco hit a home run with Odubel Herrera on base in the first inning. Herrera reached on a slow groundball between Joey Votto and Reds' starter Brandon Finnegan.
Eugenio Suarez cut the lead in half with a solo home run off Aaron Nola in the bottom of the inning.
Brandon Phillips was scratched from the original lineup with a stomach virus. Ivan De Jesus Jr. filled in at secondbase.
Jay Bruce led off the second inning with a single but Nola retired the next 11 batters in succession until Finnegan dribbled his first Major League hit up the middle.. The slowly hit ball eluded the shortstop, Freddy Galvis and secondbaseman, Cesar Hernandez.
Finniegan finished six innings, allowing just the two runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out a career-high nine batters. Finnegan retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced issuing a walk to Herrera in the sixth. In his last three spring training outings, he allowed, 6,6 and 5 runs with the last coming in a minor league game.
"The Phillies were really aggressive early in the game," Price said.. "Brandon was challenging them early with quality strikes. He got the one down to where Franco could get on top of it but he didn't lose focus and threw quality strikes after that."
Caleb Cotham pitched two scoreless innings and Blake Wood one to earn the win.
"After a tough spring by our pitchers, Cotham, Wood and Finnegan struggled but the first two games, we've pitched our tails off."
Cotham gave up runs in five of his nine spring games but ended spring training, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings in his last three games. Wood gave up 10 runs in his first seven spring games but finished with 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
Nola, who was the Phillies first pick in the 2014 draft out of Louisiana State University, pitched seven innings, allowing one run on four hits. He had no walks and tied his career high with eight strikeouts.
Suarez led off the ninth with a single off Dalier Hinojosa. Joey Votto drove a pitch deep to left but it was run down by Cedric Hunter. Devin Mesoraco beat out an infield hit. It was the first time in the game the Reds had more than one base runner in an inning. Tyler Holt ran for Mesoraco. Bruce hit his second single of the game through the left side of the infield to beat the shift to load the bases. Schebler doubled to the gap in left center on a 2-2 pitch.
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