Sun-day! Phils plate 2 as Reds lose popup

PHILADELPHIA -- Rhys Hoskins probably picked up the shortest two-run base hit of his life in a wild third-inning play in Sunday's 4-3 loss at Citizens Bank Park.

He hit a routine pop fly with the bases loaded and two outs, but Reds first baseman Joey Votto lost the ball in the sun. The ball dropped a few feet from first base, surprising everybody in the ballpark. (The ball had an expected batting average of .010, according to Statcast.) It allowed Maikel Franco to score easily from third base to tie the game.

Bryce Harper had stopped running after he rounded third, but suddenly realized he had a chance to score. He also saw Jean Segura running right behind him, so he sprinted home. Reds second baseman Derek Dietrich, who had his back to the plate, spun and fired a throw to catcher Curt Casali.

Harper’s right leg slid between Casali’s legs but home plate umpire Jordan Baker called Harper out. The Phillies asked to have the play reviewed to see if Casali violated the catcher’s collision rule and if his tag was applied in time. The Reds did not violate the rule, but replay showed that Harper’s slide beat the tag from Casali. The call was overturned, and the Phillies gained a 2-1 advantage.

"Came around third, hesitated a little bit, saw [Segura] was behind me pretty much right there,” Harper said. “So I said, 'You know what? I'm just going to go, and hopefully a good thing will happen.' And something did. Got the foot in there, it got us a couple runs."

“The play in the third inning … for us to be a winning team, the details matter,” Votto said. “I’m out there missing popups in the middle of the infield, and it’s scoring two runs. We’re playing these close games, and those sort of mistakes can’t happen. Without making excuses, I should have my glasses out there and I’m giving myself a really good chance at catching the ball, and I didn’t.”

Harper's aggressive baserunning didn't pay off in the fifth, though. He took an extra base on a single to right field, but then was caught stealing home to end the inning with Hoskins at the plate. Harper had a nice lead at third with the Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez not holding him close to the bag, but Casali tagged Harper this time before he touched the plate.