Reds hit 5 homers, win series against Phillies

May 28th, 2017

PHILADELPHIA -- One streak ended and another continued Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
The Reds powered their way to an 8-4 victory over the Phillies with five home runs: two from , two from and one from . It was the first multi-homer game of Kivlehan's career. The victory snapped Cincinnati's 0-9-1 series winless streak in Philadelphia that dated to Aug. 11-13, 2006. Chris Michalak and Bill Bray got the wins in that long-ago series against the Phillies.
"Today was definitely one of those days where everyone was clicking," Kivlehan said. "We've been swinging it well lately. To get the win today and the series win was huge."
Reds right-hander allowed four runs in five innings, but the Reds bullpen threw four scoreless innings to preserve the win.

The Phillies have lost nine consecutive series. It is their longest series losing streak since 1997, when they lost 10 consecutive series.
"I know that I can pitch at this level," said Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin, who allowed four home runs and was optioned to Triple-A after the game. "There are some things I can work on and I know that I'll come back stronger."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Reds answered:
Phillies catcher hit a three-run home run to center field in the second inning -- projected by Statcast™ to travel 434 feet from home plate, making it the Phillies' longest homer of the season -- as they scored four runs to take a 4-2 lead. But the Reds answered in the third when Duvall hit a two-run homer to left field to tie the game. Duvall added insurance runs in the fifth when he hit a two-run homer on a 0-2 fastball from Eflin, who allowed nine hits and seven runs in five innings.
Duvall, Votto unsure how to celebrate
"They were both fastballs. One was down and in and one was kind of up and in. I put good swings on them," said Duvall, who has 13 homers and 43 RBIs this season. More >

Big Red outs: The Phillies had a runner on third with one out in the fifth, but and struck out swinging to end the inning. Herrera missed badly at a breaking ball out of the strike zone. They had runners on first and second with no outs in the sixth, but grounded into a double play and Knapp struck out swinging to end the inning. Herrera is hitting .132 with a .309 OPS in 68 plate appearances since May 9. Franco is hitting .185 with a .494 OPS in 69 plate appearances since May 4. Both could see reduced playing time with expected to be activated Monday.
"I plan on giving him a day off here and there because obviously he's not swinging the bat well," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about Herrera.
QUOTABLE
"We've had a couple of stretches where we didn't win many games and there was never, ever a point where things just shut down in the dugout, where the at-bats didn't matter, where the defense didn't matter, where the baserunning or pitching didn't matter. That's a great sign because there are times, or maybe a stretch, where you feel flat. And we haven't had a stretch like that. It's a credit to the guys and how much they enjoy playing together and what our expectations are, which are to exceed everyone else's expectations." -- Reds manager Bryan Price, on his 24-25 club.
"He's not giving us consistent at-bats. He's searching both physically and mentally. It's not easy for him. I can tell he's down on himself." -- Mackanin, on Franco's struggles.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Kivlehan's second homer snapped the Phillies bullpen's scoreless streak at 22 2/3 innings. It was the bullpen's longest scoreless streak since Sept. 1-11, 2004, when they went 28 innings without allowing a run.
WHAT'S NEXT
Reds: Toronto native Joey Votto and the Reds will visit Rogers Centre for the first time since 2009 when the road trip continues against the Blue Jays on Monday at 7:07 p.m. ET. (0-2, 6.17) will make the start for Cincinnati.
Phillies: The Phillies head to Miami for a three-game road trip beginning at 7:10 p.m. ET Monday against the Marlins at Marlins Park. Right-hander (5-2, 4.28) hopes to finish May on a high note after struggling much of the month. Hellickson had a 1.80 ERA in five starts in April but has a 7.30 ERA in five starts in May.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.