CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds were overpowered by Zack Wheeler on Tuesday night, falling 4-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park.
Wheeler dominated the Reds lineup, tying a career high with 14 strikeouts over seven innings while allowing just four hits and one run. Cincinnati hitters struck out 18 times as a team.
Philadelphia took control in the third inning. Derek Hill doubled and Justin Crawford followed with a single to put runners on the corners before Trea Turner brought home the game’s first run with a groundout. Two batters later, Kyle Schwarber connected on a 407-foot, two-run home run to right center field, his major league-leading 31st homer of the season, giving the Phillies a 3-0 advantage.
The Reds finally broke through in the seventh when Eugenio Suárez hit a solo home run to left field, his 362-foot drive cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Philadelphia answered immediately in the eighth. Turner reached on an infield single, Schwarber added a base hit and Alec Bohm drew a walk to load the bases before Edmundo Sosa lifted a sacrifice fly to center, restoring the Phillies’ three-run lead at 4-1.
Andrew Abbott turned in a solid outing despite taking the loss, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out eight over six innings.
Wheeler improved to 9-1 with the victory, while Jhoan Duran struck out the side in the ninth inning to record his 22nd save.
Schwarber finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs and his 14th career home run at Great American Ball Park.
The Phillies improved to 51-41 and moved within two games of first place in the National League East. The Reds dropped to 41-49 as the series continued Wednesday in Cincinnati.