Hunter Greene Handles Cubs Elly De La Cruz Slugs

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The Reds beat the Chicago Cubs for the first time in five tries, riding Hunter Greene's bone chip free right arm to a 4-0 win.

The Cubs continue to struggle against Greene. The last time they met on September 18, Greene threw a one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts.

The Cubs managed three hits, two by Seiya Suzuki, through seven innings and Greene struck out 12. Ian Happ drew a walk following Suzuki's one out single in the seventh. Nico Hoerner flied out to center and Greene's 12th strikeout, Michael Conforto, ended the inning.

Elly De La Cruz lined his 15th home run of the season into the left field stands to give the Reds a slim lead.

After Trent Thornton gave up a single to Tyler Stephenson in a scoreless inning, Jake Woodford started the bottom of the seventh for the Cubs. With one out, De La Cruz tripled into the right field corner. Sal Stewart picked up his 65th RBI with a line out to center field. Spencer Steer singled to the hole at short. JJ Bleday blasted his 15th home run to stretch the Reds lead. 

"Elly put us on the board. Sal with a good piece of hitting with Elly on third and then Bleday gave us some cushion," Terry Francona said.

Greene left after seven scoreless innings to stretch his string to 16 against the Cubs. He allowed just three hits and a walk with 12 strikeouts. 

"He pounded the zone with really good stuff. It was the second night in a row we got length from our starters," Francona said. "That is really good. The way he pitched, allowed us, because we didn't have anything in early."

Greene gave up a career-high eight runs in his last start, his first since getting bone chips removed from his elbow. He a admitted that he failed to control his emotions in that start.

"I stayed within myself tonight," Greene said. "That was my focus, like I mentioned in my first game. The excitement got to me. I have enough experience to know what our key is. It is just how we execute it."

Brock Burke allowed an infield hit in a scoreless eighth. 

Emilio Pagan struck out the heart of the Cubs' batting order in the ninth to secure the win.

This was not a save situation for Pagan but with the heart of the order up the Cubs are capable of putting up runs quickly. They swept the Reds in May with three walk off wins, two in extra innings. Pagan was the losing pitcher in one of them when he couldn't protect a ninth inning 4-3 lead. He gave up a triple to Pete Crow-Armstrong and a walk off home run to Michael Conforto on May 4. 

Pagan earned his sixth save on Sunday (070526) against the Baltimore Orioles when he loaded the bases on a hit and two walks, allowing one run in a 3-2 win.

"I told Tito that I would be better the next time," Pagan said. "I didn't think I would do that. (strikeout the side)."

Hunter Greene Gets Second Chance Against Cubs

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Hunter Greene will get his second start of the season. He is 0-2 with an awful 21.60 ERA after he gave up a career-high eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings after returning from surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow.

Greene is 5-1 in nine starts against the Chicago Cubs with a 3.38 ERA.

He made two starts against them last season. On May 23 he pitched four innings and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out two in a 13-6 loss. He gave up a home runs to Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki but left the game with a 4-2 lead. His last start against them was September 18. He authored a 1-0 complete game shutout on one hit with nine strikeouts. Suzuki doubled with two outs in the seventh and was the only base runner.

Spencer Steer is making his first ever start in center field.

Shota Imanaga, a 32-year old left hander will start for the Cubs. He is 5-7 in 18 starts with a 4.28 ERA.

He has one quality start in his past five starts. On June 29 he pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on nine hits against the San Diego PadresHe walked none and struck out four. His last start was a 4 2/3 inning stint in a 3-0 loss. He allowed two runs on four hits and three walks. Imanaga has given up 21 home runs this season, tied for the third most in baseball.

Imanaga is 2-0 in four career starts against the Reds with a 2.63 ERA. His last start against the Reds was on May 7. He pitched six innings, allowing one run on six hits and three walks. He struck out 10 and gave up a home run to Sal Stewart.

Reds lineup:

Elly De La Cruz SS

Sal Stewart 1B

Spencer Steer CF

JJ Bleday LF

Eugenio Suarez DH

Tyler Stephenson C

Noelvi Marte RF

Edwin Arroyo 2B

Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B

Cubs lineup:

Peter Crow-Armstrong CF

Alex Bregman 3B

Michael Busch 1B

Seiya Suzuki RF

Ian Happ LF

Nico Hoerner 2B

Michael Conforto DH

Carson Kelly C

Dansby Swanson SS

Reds Trade IL Infielders

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The Reds placed Matt McLain on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 8 with a strained left calf.

Ke’Bryan Hayes was removed from the injured list after four rehab games at Dayton and Louisville. He is recovered from a lower lumbar sprain.

 Hayes hit .142 in 44 games before going to the injured list. He hit .444 with four doubles and a home run during his rehab assignments.

McLain is hitting .190 in 83 games with 13 doubles and eight home runs. He has recently added center field to his second base and shortstop assignments.

Phillies Sneak Over One Run To Take Series

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The Philadelphia Phillies broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning and made it stand up for a 1-0 win to take the series.

Reds starter Brady Singer, who turned in his longest outing of the season, hit Gabriel Rincones with an 0-2 pitch. Derek Hill ran for Rincones and was running on the pitch as J.T. Realmuto grounded out to shortstop. Justin Crawford singled and Singer walked Trae Turner. 

"He (Singer) hits the guy with a 0-2 pitch. Then he runs 0-2 and they get a ground ball," explained Terry Francona. "Singer was efficient he was getting ahead with the first pitch."

Sam Moll came out of the bullpen to face leading home run hitter, Kyle Schwarber. Moll struck out Schwarber on a checked swing. He stranded both runners by striking out Bryce Harper swinging.

Singer went 7 1/3 innings allowing x runs on four hits and one walk. He hit two batters and struck out five.

Phillie's starter Jesus Luzardo pitched seven scoreless innings, matching his season high. He gave up two hits, two walks and hit a batter while striking out 10.

Tejay Antone pitched a scoreless ninth.

Jhoan Duran entered, looking for his 23rd save of the season.

JJ Bleday singled on a 3-2 pitch to open the ninth. Bleday stole second as Duran fell behind Spencer Steer 2-1. Steer was hit by a pitch. Eugenio Suarez struck out swinging. Tyler Stephenson struck out swinging. Leaving the Reds hope in the hands of Noelvi Marte, who hit a ground ball to third to end the game. Duran has saved 23 games in 24 tries.

"We had two guys on. We were one bad pitch away and he didn't make the bad pitch," Francona said. "Geno (Suarez) isn't here to hit a ground ball. That's not going to work. He is here to drive the ball and strike outs are part of it. He is a guy, who when he gets hot, he can carry us for three or four weeks. We just have to get him there."

Stephenson since June 1 is hitting .299 and had one of the Reds four hits. Marte drove in four runs in the win on Wednesday.

The Reds return to eight games under .500 at 42-50 with 70 games to go.

Brady Singer Takes Aim At The Phillies

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Brady Singer prepares for his 18th start with a 3-8 record and a 5.03 ERA against the Philadelphia Phillies with the deciding game of the series on the line.

He has a win and two losses with two quality starts in his last five outings. He pitched seven scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 22nd, allowing just two hits. He was not around for the decision. He picked up a win on June 18 against the New York Mets with five innings, in which he allowed one run on three hits. He has a quality start on June 10 against the San Diego Padres with two runs in six innings but his last two starts have been problematic. He gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 28. In his last start, Singer pitched five innings against the Baltimore Orioles, giving up three runs, two earned on three hits and five walks.

Singer is 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA in two starts, lifetime, against the Phillies. On August 12, last season, Singer pitched six innings in a 6-1 win over the Phillies. He allowed no runs on three hits and struck out six.

Jesus Luzardo, a 28-year old, left hander from Lima, Peru will start for the Phillies. He was born in Peru but went to school at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where he was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the third round of the 2016 draft.

The Phillies are 5-0 in his last five starts. He was credited with three wins, reflected in his 7-4 record with a 3.75 ERA in 18 starts. He allowed six runs in that span, including seven innings against the Miami Marlins on June 16. His last start was a winning 6-1 decision against the Kansas City Royals. Luzardo pitched six innings, allowing one run on four hits, with no walks, while striking out nine.

Against the Reds he is 1-3 with a 4.26 ERA in four starts. He pitched against the Reds on May 19. He allowed two earned runs over six innings on five hits and two walks. He struck out five.

Reds lineup:

Elly De La Cruz SS

Sal Stewart 3B

JJ Bleday LF

Spencer Steer 1B

Eugenio Suarez DH

Tyler Stephenson C

Noelvi Marte RF

Edwin Arroyo 2B

TJ Friedl CF

Phillies Lineup:

Trae Turner SS

Kyle Schwarber DH

Bryce Harper 1B

Brandon Marsh LF

Alec Bohm 3B

Bryson Stott 2B

Gabriel Rincones Jr. RF

TJ Realmuto C

Justin Crawford CF

Reds Hit Five Home Runs Chase Burns Wins 11th Game

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The Reds hit four home runs in a five run fourth inning to allow All-Star Chase Burns margin for his 11th win of the season 11-5 over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies got to Reds' All-Star hurler, Chase Burns in the second inning. Garbial Rincones doubled with one out. Justin Crawford followed with a triple into the right field corner. Crawford scored on a pitch that got away from catcher Jose Trevino. There was a play at the plate but Crawford dived home safely.

The Reds bounced back against the Phillies opener, Alan Rangel. Elly De La Cruz doubled to the right center field gap. Rookie All-Star Sal Stewart belted his 18th home run onto the netting above the Phillies' bullpen in right field to tie the game. Stewart has driven in 63 runs this season. Stewart is tied for eighth in Major League Baseball and he leads rookies. He is third in home runs among rookies.

Stewart challenged a 3-1 pitch that was called a ball before he hit the home run.

"I just had to reset," Stewart said. "I challenged and I was wrong. I had to get back in the count. They are a really good offensive team. It felt good to win like that."

Noelvi Marte led off the bottom of the fourth inning with his sixth home run. Tanner Banks replaced Rangel. Edwin Arroyo doubled down the right field line and took third on an error by Rincones, It was later changed to a triple. TJ Friedl was thrown out on a bunt attempt by Banks. De La Cruz hit his 14th home run into the right field seats to stake the Reds to a 5-2 lead. Stewart hit his 15th home run and second in the game to send the lead to 6-2. JJ Bleday hit his 14th and three batters in a row homered off Banks. 

"It was a fun inning," Terry Francona said. "You guys have heard me say it a million times. It is great win someone hits the ball hard the other way and get rewarded. De La Cruz and both of Stewart's home runs were to right field as right handed batters. "When they started to come back, like they can. It's good to have some more room."

The two home runs by Stewart gave him 19 on the season. Frank Robinson has the Reds' record for home runs by a rookie at 38. He hit 18 by the All-Star break in 1956. However, the 2026 season started a week earlier than past seasons. This was Stewart's 91st game of the season. Robinson hit 23 by his 91st game in 1956.

"It feels good being in the company of someone with that stature," Stewart said. 

Burns struggled through the fourth and fifth innings. He walked five within a span of seven batters before he retired Alec Bohm on a fly to center.

"I was starting to panic," Francona said. "You could tell he was leaving a lot of fastballs way up. I really want him to get through that inning but I wasn't going to let him go much more."

Brock Burke made his 45th appearance of the season. 

Burns was able to get through five innings. He allowed three runs on three hits but walked a career-high six.

"I didn't have my best stuff but you got to get through. It was just bearing down mentally. I wasn't throwing my best. I had to go one pitch at a time," Burns said. "Looking back I can see how much I've grown. I'm thankful for that. There were some good defensive plays too that were very much appreciated."

JT Realmuto hit his seventh home run of the season with two outs in the sixth inning. Burke struck out Kyle Schwarber as the tying run after a single by Edmundo Sosa and walk to Bryce Harper.

The Reds added breathing room against Jose Alvarado in the bottom of the inning. Friedl and De La Cruz walked. With one out Bleday singled to score Friedl. Suarez struck out with De La Cruz on third but Spencer Steer walked. Marte cleared the bases with a double into the left field corner to give him four RBI for the game.

Schwarber hit his 32nd home run in the ninth inning to extend his Major League Lead. Rhett Lowder finished the last two innings.

All Star Chase Burns Attacks Phillies Star Studded Batting Order

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Chase Burns with a 10-1 record and a 2.40 ERA is an All Star just two years after being drafted by the Reds out of Wake Forest University.

Burns is one of seven major league starters with 10 wins. He and former Red, Sonny Gray have only one loss among 11 decisions. Burns ranks fifth in baseball in ERA.

He will face All-Stars in the Philadelphia Phillies lineup tonight. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh are the first three in the batting order tonight and will be participating in the All-Star Game in Citizens Bank Ballpark in their home city.

The Reds are 13-4 in his 17 starts. He has nine quality starts and has allowed two runs or fewer in 15 starts. He has two starts in which he allowed five runs. One against the Los Angeles Angels on April 10 and the last one on June 27 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He still pitched six innings in the Reds come-from-behind win.

Burns pitched six innings in his last start against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 2, a 7-2 Reds win. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks. 

He has two starts against the Phillies with a 1-0 record and 1.69 ERA. Burns beat the Phillies 4-1 on May 19 with one run in six innings on three hits and no walks. He struck out nine. The run scored on a home run by Trea Turner.

The Phillies are having a bullpen day with Alan Rangel starting.

The 28-year old right hander from Hermosillo, Mexico is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four appearances, one start. He made 11 starts in 14 appearances at Triple A Lehigh Valley this season with a 3-4 record and a 3.99 ERA. He has 27 walks and 73 strikeouts in 70 innings at that level.

He was recalled this afternoon by the Phillies after he was sent down on July 2. The Phillies placed RHP Lou Trivino on the 15-day injured list with a right thoracic muscle spasm and sent RHP Seth Johnson to Lehigh Valley. They reactivated RHP Brad Keller from the 15-day injured list. He recovered from tendinitis in his right elbow.

Rangel has never faced the Reds.

The Reds lineup:

Elly De La Cruz SS

Sal Stewart 3B

JJ Bleday LF

Eugenio Suarez DH

Spencer Steer 1B

Noelvi Marte RF

Jose Trevino C

Edwin Arroyo 2B

TJ Friedl CF

Phillies lineup

Bryce Harper 1B

Kyle Schwarber DH

Brandon Marsh LF

Bryson Stott 2B

Alec Bohm 3B

Gabriel Rincones RF

Justin Crawford CF

JT Realmuto C

Edmundo Sosa SS

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Kyle Schwarber Launches 31st Zack Wheeler Dominates

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Kyle Schwarber lined his 31st home run into the right field stands with a man on to stake Zack Wheeler to a three-run lead he never relinquished in the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 win over the Reds.

Andrew Abbott retired the first seven Phillies hitters but was touched by a one out double by Derek Hill. Justin Crawford singled to right but Hill did not want to test right fielder Spencer Steer's arm and stopped at third.

Trea Turner hit a slow ground ball to Elly De La Cruz at short for the second out. De La Cruz had only one play and threw Turner out at first as Hill scored easily. Abbott fell behind 3-0 to Schwarber, the Middletown, Ohio and University of Indiana grad. Schwarber was swinging 3-0 and belted his 27th home run against the Reds, the most against any opponent and 13th at Great American Ball Park. He missed the Reds when they visited Philadelphia in May with a gastrointestinal illness.

The Reds could do nothing with veteran Zack Wheeler. He allowed a single to JJ Bleday but struck out three in the first inning and two of three in the second. 

"He's really good," Terry Francona said of Wheeler. "He maintained his velocity through out and spun the ball with a change up."

Abbott left after six innings, allowing three runs on five hits, no walks and a season-high eight strikeouts. It is his seventh quality start of the year.

"I thought he threw the ball real well. He gave up the home run 3-0. I think he was trying to throw one off the plate and missed," Francona said.

"I kept a pretty good offense pretty quiet," Abbott said. "Schwarber is a good hitter. With a 3-0 count we're going to live or die by the sword. The fastball is one of my best pitches. Hindsight is 20/20 obviously you throw him another breaking ball sure. I told (acting pitching coach) Matt Tracy, I'm going to attack with my best stuff."

"I was trying to go away from him. That's the attack. It was too much over the middle. That's the mistake. I didn't walk anybody. You guys know I hate to walk people. I made them earn what they got and tried to keep us in the game," Abbott continued.

Pierce Johnson pitched a scoreless seventh.

Eugenio Suarez led off the seventh inning with his ninth home run to cut the lead to 3-1. It is his 198th home run as a Red, tying Barry Larkin for 11th place on the Reds' list.

Wheeler pitched seven innings for the fifth time this season. He gave up a run on four hits and no walks. He tied a career-high with 14 strikeouts. 

"He has really good stuff. Today he mixed it really well," Suarez said. "He made a mistake and I was ready for that one. He doesn't make a lot of mistake."

Turner and Schwarber started the eighth with singles against Caleb Ferguson. Bryce Harper grounded out as the runners moved up. Julien Garcia replaced Ferguson to face Alec Bohm.

Bohm walked to load the bases. Edmundo Sosa hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Turner. JT Realmuto grounded out to end the inning.

Orion Kerkering replaced Wheeler to start the eighth inning.

Pinch hitter Ivan Johnson and De La Cruz walked with one out. Stewart hit a ground ball to Bohm at third. He threw to second to try to force De La Cruz at second and he beat it the throw according to second base umpire Mike Estabrook. Manager Don Mattingly challenged the play. Turner was able to throw Stewart out at first base. Infield coach Bobby Dickerson was ejected by Lance Barrett. Caleb Cotham was ejected by Malachi Moore. 

The Phillies could only challenge the out of safe call on De La Cruz.

"The only thing that could be challenges is the safe/out — they wanted abandoning of the base path, but that is not challengeable. On the field you can't abandon if you're safe and you return to the bag," crew chief, Alfonso Marquez said. 

JJ Bleday walked to load the bases. Jonathan Bowlan came in to pitch to Suarez, who won a challenge on a 2-2 pitch but he struck out swinging to end the inning.

Sam Moll started the ninth for the Reds.

Jhoan Duran gave up an infield hit to Steer but struck out Nathaniel Lowe, Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl for his 22nd save in 23 chances.

The Reds tied a season low eight games under .500 at 41-49 with 72 games left.

"It has been like this for a month and a half," Suarez said. "We can't take it for granted. We have to come out every day and play our best. Have fun. We have to give 100 percent and see what happens after the game."

"We try to show up every day. It's a new day. I don't want these guys coming in dragging," Francona said. "That's not going to help. They care. I care. The coaches care. We will have early hitting tomorrow, like we always do. We will try to keep after it. We want to do better. We need to do better."

Reds Wounded On The Mend

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Ke'Bryan Hayes played two games in Dayton over the weekend and experienced a little soreness in his lower back.

"He played the first night and DH'd the second night. He had some general soreness," Francona said. "He came in here for the Sunday day game and worked out on the off day. He needs to play a little bit."

The Reds rested him on Sunday but sent him to Louisville, tonight (Tues 060726) to play seven innings at third base. 

Blake Dunn with a sore elbow is running but isn't ready to do more, according to Terry Francona. 

"He's still feeling it. He's not turned the corner as fast as he hoped. As long as he's feeling it, he is just in the training room."

Dane Myers with a contusion on his left shoulder is healing.

"He's coming along pretty good," Francona said. "He's more active every day."

Tony Santillan is being examined on Wednesday. They will determine if he gets a PRP injection. 

Graham Ashcraft will make 25 throws from 90 feet and then go to Goodyear, Arizona to work out and work up to a throwing program.

"He's not ready for bullpen sessions," Francona said. 

Andrew Abbott Takes On The Phillies And Kyle Schwarber

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Andrew Abbott takes on the Philadelphia Phillies and slugging Middletown, Ohio native, Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber leads all of baseball with 30 home runs, one more than Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros.

Abbott like Schwarber is left handed. Left handed batters are hitting .275 off Abbott while right handers are at .244. However, left handed hitters have just three home runs against Abbott in 102 at bats, while right handers have 12 home runs in 262 at bats.

Schwarber is hitting .268 against left handed pitching compared to .241 against right handers. In 123 at bats, Schwarber hit 10 home runs off left handers and 20 off right handers in 203 at bats.

Schwarber missed the series with the Reds in Philadelphia, May 18-20 with gastrointestinal illness.

Abbott is 5-4 with a 3.88 ERA in 18 starts.

Since the end of April, Abbott has a 4-2 record with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts. He has four quality starts in that span. His 30 walks in that span, kept him from pitching any more than six innings, which he's done six times this season.

Abbott's last start was in a 4-2 loss to Milwaukee in which he pitched five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and five walks on July 1.

He beat the Phillies on May 20 with 5 1/3 innings, he allowed two runs, one earned on three walks and three hits, including a home run to Alec Bohm.

Lifetime, Abbott is 1-1 with a 3.81 ERA in five starts against the Phillies.

Right hander Zack Wheeler will pitch for the Phillies.

He is 8-1 with a 2.36 ERA in 13 starts.

Wheeler is 36 years old with in his 12th year. He was the first pick of the San Francisco Giants in 2009 out of East Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia. He was traded to the New York Mets for Carlos Beltran at the trade deadline in 2011. 

Wheeler broke in with the Mets in 2013 and pitched five seasons, missing the 2015 and 2016 with a torn ACL in his elbow.

He returned to the Mets in 2017 and pitched two seasons with a 23-25 record and a 3.65 ERA in 60 starts. He signed a free agent contract with the Phillies in December 2019.

Wheeler did not make the All-Star team this season after being on the squad in 2024 and last season, where he was joined by Abbott. He is 77-38 with the Phillies with a 2.86 ERA in 170 starts. His best season was in 2024. He was 16-7 in 32 starts with a 2.57 ERA. He was second in the Cy Young voting that year and 12th in the Most Valuable Player voting.

He logged nine quality starts this season, pitching at least seven innings four times. He has not allowed more than three runs in 11 of his 13 starts. Wheeler's shortest outing was in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on a season-high nine hits and one walk.

Wheeler has nine career starts against the Reds with a 3-2 record and 2.35 ERA with one complete game on July 6 last season, exactly a year ago. He pitched all nine innings, allowing one hit, a home run by Austin Hays in the fifth inning. He had no walks and 12 strikeouts.

The Reds lineup:

Elly De La Cruz SS

Sal Stewart 1B

JJ Bleday LF

Eugenio Suarez 3B

Nathaniel Lowe DH

Spencer Steer RF

Tyler Stephenson C

TJ Friedl CF

Matt McLain 2B

Phillies lineup:

Trea Turner SS

Kyle Schwarber DH

Bryce Harper 1B

Alec Bohm 3B

Edmundo Sosa LF

JT Realmuto C

Bryson Stott 2B

Derek Hill RF

Justin Crawford CF