Nothing separated the teams for seven innings. Then one swing changed everything. Jesus Luzardo was dominant from the first pitch, and Justin Crawford's single to right in the eighth gave the Philadelphia Phillies a 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday at Great American Ball Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| CIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Luzardo was the story. He allowed just 2 hits and 2 walks over 7.0 innings, striking out 11 while throwing 96 pitches. He did not allow a run. The win moved him to 8-4 on the season, with a 3.51 ERA. He is one win away from 50 career victories.
The only run of the game came in the top of the eighth. From a scoreless tie, Crawford singled to right, scoring Hill to give Philadelphia the lead it would not relinquish. Crawford finished 1-for-3 with 1 RBI. Jhoan Duran closed it out in the ninth, striking out 2 in a perfect inning for his 23rd save of the season, carrying a 1.42 ERA.
Brady Singer pitched well enough to win on most nights. He allowed 1 run on 4 hits over 7.1 innings, striking out 5 while walking 1 on 89 pitches. The loss dropped him to 3-9. Cincinnati managed just 3 hits as a team and never threatened to score.
Philadelphia improved to 52-42. Cincinnati fell to 42-50.