Bryce Harper went back on the ball but it was out of his reach.
"It's a great feeling," Ervin said. "He just threw me a fastball and it found barrell. The wind pushed it out."
Ervin has put up great numbers against left-handed pitchers but is getting more at bats late in the season against right handed pitchers. Ervin is hitting .359 against left handers and ,252 against right handers.
"We believe he can hit right handers," David Bell said. "It's not so much that we don't believe he can be good against right handers, we have a lot of left handed hitters we want to get in against the right handers. He was so good against left handers. The more he does it the better he'll get."
Sonny Gray was locked in a pitching duel with Vargas which remained scoreless through three innings.
Philadelphia struck first.
J.T Realmuto tripled high off the wall in left. Ervin had a chance but it was too high off the wall and bounded toward the infield. Michael Lorenzen, who was getting his first opportunity to start a game in the field, was a bit late backing up the play. One out later Realmuto scored on a double by Rhys Hoskins.
The Reds had two hits off Vargas until the sixth. Nick Senzel, nursing a sore shoulder, fouled out batting for Gray. Alex Blandino followed with a one-out double, his first hit of the season. Iglesias gave the Reds the lead with his home run into the upper deck in left field for his 11th of the season. Vargas was replaced by former Red Jared Hughes. Eugenio Suarez, who missed three games from being hit on his left hand, lined the first pitch into the right field stands for his 41st home run. Iglesias hit his first career pinch hit homer to give the Reds the lead on Wednesday.
Kevin Gausman took the mound for the Reds in the seventh.
Scott Kingery singled with one out. Gausman walked Cesar Hernandez. Adam Haseley hit a line drive at the feet of a charging Aristides Aquino in right. Aquino stopped the ball and the runners but dropped the ball that rolled far enough away for Kingery to score. Gausman dropped a comeback one-hopper which could have been a double play but recovered in time to get one out. With runners at second and third. Gausman speared Corey Dickerson's line drive to the mound to end the inning.
The Reds appeared to load the bases with two outs in the seventh. Lorenzen and Jose Peraza walked. Alex Blandino singled for his second hit but Bryce Harper's strong throw home stopped Lorenzen at third. Realmuto fielded the throw and fired to second to catch Peraza rounding the base. Second base umpire Marvin Hudson ruled Peraza safe but replays showed that he lost contact with the bag and was out.
Gray has won five straight decisions over his last nine starts. He was the victim of four blown saves, including this game. J.T. Realmuto's home run, his 22, came off Robert Stephenson in the eighth cost Gray his 11th win of the season.
"He continues to pitch great. He's on a roll but he's doing better as a pitcher. He is finding ways to just get better which is exciting for him and for us," Bell said.
No comments:
Post a Comment