Kyle Kendrick allowed two runs over seven innings.  It would have probably been one fewer if Erik Kratz hadn’t pulled a Tennessee Jed and realized he is indeed a pretty slow guy before he bungled a rundown in the first inning.  The miscue was followed by an A.J. Pollack single which put Arizona up 2-0, which, for this team, feels like a nearly insurmountable deficit to overcome.

In the third inning, Domonic Brown caught what was going to be an Eric Chavez home run like he is some rangy, savvy outfielder.   Before he jogged back to the left field wall, in what looked like some new speedway boogie, to make the catch he shouted to Ben Revere, “Yo kid, watch this.”  When asked about the play after the game all Revere could muster was, “!!!”

The Phillies had 15 hits, 12 of which were singles.  12 singles! Why walk when you get hit singles and eek out runs like this team can?!  This is all making sense now.  Sure, a win is a win is a win, but there aren’t going to be a lot of them if this roster can’t start actually hitting.

The win meant the team ended the road trip with a 4-3 record.   All three losses were by one run, so the trip could have even been better despite it feeling like they went 0-7.

The Phillies are off tomorrow and play the Cleveland “We Still Have a Racists Nickname” Indians on Tuesday at 7:05.

Apr 16, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds center fielder Shin-Soo Choo warms up on deck during a game against yje Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

I have trouble adopting a voice for some of these recaps.  Like, am I explaining what happened to people who watched it?  Or is it more akin to telling a story to somebody who wasn’t there?

Because my instinct is to start this recap with, “Man, you wouldn’t believe this one.”  But maybe you would.  Maybe you don’t enter the top of each first inning with the idea that maybe this will be the game that turns it around.  But hey, it’s still early!  Why, Delmon Young hasn’t even joined the club yet!

**weeps**

So yeah, John Lannan apparently entered the game already injured with some tendinitis above his knee that he claims to have pitched through before.  Which is great news, because the last thing we want to do is have someone other than John Lannan pitch when John Lannan is giving up eight hits and six runs in less than two innings.

Onward came the bullpen, who did their thing where they just kind of are out there so the mound isn’t empty and the game can continue.  Raul Valdes hopped in there and six hits and five runs through three and a third innings of mop-up duty.  Oh, and then there was this gem.

Raul Valdes has the Phillies’ first extra-base hit in 41 batters.

— Matt Gelb (@magelb) April 18, 2013

Apr 15, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder Derrick Robinson beats out a hit during the eighth inning against Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard at Great American Ball Park. The Reds defeated the Phillies 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, the long reliever set the offensive bar for the day, matched only by Freddy Galvis’ two-run eighth inning home run off a guy appearing in his sixth MLB game ever and cut the deficit to single digits.  The Red’s Mike Leake took complete control for seven innings of shut-out, three-hit ball.  He was backed by a potent lineup of frequent hitters.  Zach Cozart (3-for-5, 3 RBI, 2B, HR) and Brandon Phillips (2-for-2, 3 RBI) were especially devastating, as was Leake’s RBI triple off Lannan.

Chad Durbin and Jeremy Horst would pitch the last three innings with hitlessness and scorelessness that would have really come in handy during some games where we weren’t already down by nine runs.  Dom Brown left the game after feeling a pop in his back while misplaying a fly ball.

Oh, did I mention the pregame ceremony was the Phillies losing a different game?  Today was great.

When it all went wrong

When John Lannan decided to be a hero?  When Ben Revere didn’t hit a ball out of the infield for 10 at-bats, is hitting .194, and is the leadoff hitter?  When nobody walked in this entire series?  When the Phillies scored 10 runs in six games? When

Hero

noun \ˈhir-(ˌ)ō\

a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability

b : an illustrious warrior

c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities

d : one who shows great courage

Villain

Baseball.

TBOH’s thoughts

**In play, run(s); Mike Leake triples on a fly ball** said the screen of the laptop sailing out the apartment window

— Justin Klugh (@TBOHblog) April 17, 2013

I wonder if Big Bang Theory is on. Maybe I’ll get lucky.

— John Stolnis (@FelskeFiles) April 18, 2013

Still the Phillies, though.  It won’t ever be not the Phillies.  But it sure is refreshing to see them play not like themselves.

Celebratory hand-touch! Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Roy Halladay was not on fire, giving up four straight base hits to start the game, including a bases loaded double to Jay Bruce.  Somehow, the Reds managed to score only two runs that inning, thanks in part to Dom Brown hosing Chris Heisey at the plate.

Over the next few innings, the score would be jockeyed back and forth as both Doc and Reds starter Mike Leake failed to stabilize their team’s position.  Ryan Howard singled in Juan Pierre in the second and clobbered a shot into “That Ball is Absolutely Hammered”-ville to tie the game in the third.

Ryan Howard powered himself into another spectrum of human vision. Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Erik Kratz solidified his backup catching/nuclear power role by giving the Phils the lead with a solo shot, which in turn was equalized by a big Reds fifth inning that went double-double-single-single-pickoff play in which Brandon Phillips manages to score before they can smother Jay Bruce off second.

5-3 at this point, but the very next inning Chase Utley and Juan Pierre both had RBI before Dom Brown stepped up in a tie game and doubled in Ryan Howard and John Mayberry and made every body feel good and warm inside.

At this point, the Reds courteously backed off a bit on the scoring, but the Phillies, their mouths covered in slop, rudely continued without considering anyone’s feelings.  They scored in every inning but the second, the biggest games had by Ryan Howard (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R), John Mayberry (3-for-5, 3 RBI, 3 R), and Juan Pierre (3-for-4, 3 RBI, 1 R).

Doc, unaccustomed to being picked up by his offense, was naturally disappointed in his own night, (seven innings, 5 ER, 10 H), but gave way to a suspiciously eventless bullpen–Rosenberg, Bastardo, and Lindblom allowed two hits and nothing else over 2.2–and as always, did not have to carry as much guilt as he did.

“I feel like everybody contributed but me.”  **light, sad smile**

–Roy Halladay

It's okay Roy, don't summon the Doc-plane just yet. Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

When It All Went Right

Dom Brown’s RBI double got the lead back, raised the youngter’s self esteem, gave us all hope about his clutch-ness, and was generally just an exciting little moment to have that didn’t even lead to the Reds coming back.

Of course you could also argue that everything went right when the Reds stepped on the field, having lost 12 of their last 13 against the Phils.

But... but Dom Brown! Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Most Attractive Play

Let’s give a little fatherly love to a guy who needs it the most.  Antonio Bastardo K’d two Reds looking in a row to end the 8th with two runners on.

Hero

Hey wow, Placido Polanco returned last night and went 2-for-4 with a run.  That’s fun.

Villain

I don’t know what Jay Bruce’s (3-for-3, 3 H, 2 RBI, 1 BB) problem was last night, but he seemed to be in the middle of everything, like some sort of horrible bacteria that makes everyone around it look like diseased-ridden monsters.  Gross.