Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson spark eighth-inning rally in Phillies’ win over Reds
Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson were part of a two-run top of the fifth inning on Sunday in the Phillies’ 4-2 win over the Rangers. Sosa hit a game-tying home run. Wilson poked a go-ahead single. The pair came through again on Monday in Cincinnati, sparking a two-out rally in the eighth inning of the Phillies’ 4-1 series-opening win over the Reds.
Reds starter Andrew Abbott kept the Phillies off the scoreboard for most of Monday night. With the help of his defense in the top of the seventh, Abbott started his night with seven shutout innings. Shortstop Elly De La Cruz made a great bare-handed play on a ground ball off the bat of J.T. Realmuto for the first out of the frame. Right fielder Noelvi Marte caught a Nick Castellanos fly ball and threw out Bryce Harper at home for an inning-ending double play.
Harper started the seventh with a double. His being gunned down at home resulted in the third straight inning the Phillies got their leadoff hitter on base, but failed to score him. The first two hitters in the eighth, Harrison Bader and Otto Kemp, failed to reach base against Abbott. It looked like one of those nights for the Phillies. Two batters later, the script flipped.
Sosa punched a 2-2 fastball from Abbott to right field to extend the inning. Wilson followed Sosa with a double down the left-field line. Going on contact, Sosa was on his horse and scored all the way from first as the ball rolled around left field to tie the game.
Wilson’s double turned the lineup over, making way for Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber to give the Phillies some breathing room. Turner singled to plate Wilson, putting the Phillies ahead and ending Abbott’s night. Schwarber, facing Tony Santillan, followed Turner’s base hit with his 42nd home run of the year, making it a 4-1 ballgame.
Batting eighth and ninth on Monday, Sosa and Wilson continued a strong second half for the bottom of the Phillies’ lineup, which as a whole has been one of baseball’s best in recent weeks. Entering Monday, those batting in the bottom third of the Phillies’ order were hitting .297 with an .867 OPS since August 1. Only the Brewers had received a higher OPS from that portion of their lineup since play resumed following the All-Star break.
With their win, the Phillies are now 69-49 on the year, the same record they had through 118 games last season. Their division lead over the Mets, who were off on Monday, now sits at a new season-high of six games.