Hoskins muffs easy catch in 9th, Phils fall to Pirates 5-4
By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rhys Hoskins botched an easy catch that cost the Phillies a game and gave their fed-up fans a reason to really boo the home team. The struggling first baseman has become the latest player to trigger the official sound of contempt in Philly with a drop that cost the Phils a chance to gain ground in the playoff race.
Hoskins kept Phillies fans booing when he inexplicably flubbed a routine throw in the ninth inning, turning what appeared to be an inning-ending double play into the go-ahead run for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 5-4 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
“Just missed it. Clanked it,” Hoskins said.
After a pair of one-out walks by Hector Neris (2-5), Kevin Newman hit a grounder to second baseman Cesar Hernandez that could’ve let the Phillies escape.
Hernandez flipped to Jean Segura for a force at second, and the shortstop threw a strike to Hoskins that should have finished the inning. But the struggling Hoskins seemed to close his mitt too early and the ball smacked off the leather and rolled away.
Adam Frazier scrambled home to score the tiebreaking run in stunning fashion and the Phillies failed to gain ground in the NL wild-card race.
“I think that he was in a good position to catch that ball,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “There’s no technique he could have done different to save it. It’s just a ball he missed.”
Hoskins entered hitting .164 since the All-Star break and said he didn’t need a day off. Kapler said he would talk about the possibility with Hoskins.
“I think we keep reminding him how good he is,” Kapler said.
Felipe Vazquez (5-1) got the win for the Pirates with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
“We’re never really out of it,” left fielder Bryan Reynolds said. “It’s just one swing away, one play away.”
More like, one big error.
Sean Rodriguez provoked the ire of Phillies fans a day after he won a game a with an extra-inning home run and blasted the crowd for booing. Rodriguez was booed during lineup introductions — though he signed a few autographs for fans before the game — and each time he came to hit.
Rodriguez did hear cheers after his first at-bat — he was hit by a pitch and smirked at the reaction as he jogged to first. He was booed again even after he doubled in the fourth inning and he seemed to gesture in appreciation toward his teammates in the Phillies dugout.
Rodriguez ripped the fans after he led off the 11th inning with a homer to beat the Pirates 6-5 on Monday night.
“I’m not the one saying pretty disgusting things at times. That seems pretty entitled. You’re just making yourself look pretty bad as an individual, as a person, as a fan,” he said.
The Phillies’ chase for a wild-card spot took a backseat Tuesday to wall-to-wall Rodriguez headlines.
“Sean’s a fiery guy, he’s a fiery player,” Kapler said. “I think what he was attempting to convey was that he supports his teammates and thinks that his teammates perform best when they feel support, too.”
Kapler was booed during introductions on his first opening day in Philadelphia last year and said it’s best for everyone connected to Philly sports to develop a thick skin.
“I don’t think our fans are entitled,” Kapler said. “What they’re entitled to do is feel how they feel and express themselves accordingly. Let’s go at it directly, every great player in every sport that’s played here in Philadelphia has gotten booed. Charles Barkley was here and talked to our club not that long ago. Charles Barkley got booed. Ryan Howard got booed. Jimmy Rollins got booed. Mike Schmidt got booed.”
All of those players are some of the greats in Philly sports history.
Rodriguez entered hitting .214.
More boos were heard in the first inning, though they were the usual ones directed at the home team when it’s losing. The Pirates nearly hit for the cycle in the inning against Drew Smyly. Newman led off with a triple, Reynolds hit his 14th homer of the season for a 2-0 lead and Starling Marte doubled to open the inning. The Pirates wouldn’t score again until Colin Moran hit a two-run homer off Smyly for a 4-2 lead
The Phillies scored a run each in the second, third and fourth innings off Pirates starter Steven Brault and Logan Morrison tied it at 4-all in the sixth with his fifth career pinch-hit home run.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: INF-OF Scott Kingery, who left Monday’s game with an injury, was out of the starting lineup with lower abdominal soreness. Kingery pinch-hit in a tie game in the eighth and struck out.
TRIPLE THREAT
U.S national soccer team star Carli Lloyd, who made a 55-yard field goal at a recent Eagles practice, threw the first pitch. Lloyd told NBCSports Philadelphia she had interest from an NFL team to kick for them.
UP NEXT
The Phillies send RHP Vince Velasquez (5-7, 4.93 ERA) to the mound against Pittsburgh RHP Mitch Keller (1-2, 7.24 ERA).
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Rodriguez’s homer in 11th gives Phils 6-5 win over Pirates
By ROB MAADDI AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sean Rodriguez answered the critics with one big swing.
Rodriguez lined a home run leading off the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.
Josh Bell hit a solo homer off Philadelphia closer Hector Neris to tie it at 5 in the ninth after Corey Dickerson delivered a two-run shot against his former team in the eighth to give the Phillies a one-run lead.
But after stranding five runners in the ninth and 10th, the Phillies won it when Rodriguez went deep against Michael Feliz (2-4) for his fourth career walk-off homer. Rodriguez was in a 1-for-21 slump before he connected.
“Think about it. Who is looking bad and feeling entitled when you hear stuff like that?” Rodriguez said about the criticism. “I’m not the one booing. I’m not the one screaming. I’m not the one saying pretty disgusting things at times. That seems pretty entitled. You’re just making yourself look pretty bad as an individual, as a person, as a fan. … There’s still a lot of good fans, though, and those are the ones I hear.”
Philadelphia moved within a game of the idle Chicago Cubs for the second NL wild card.
Bryce Harper launched a solo homer to right field with two outs in the eighth in his first game back from paternity leave to cut it to 4-3. After J.T. Realmuto’s infield single, Dickerson ripped one out to right to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead.
Dickerson, acquired from the Pirates before the July 31 trade deadline, has 21 RBIs in 19 games for the Phillies.
Bell has been slumping and wasn’t in the starting lineup but he crushed a 432-foot homer off Neris for his 33rd this season. Neris has five blown saves in 28 chances this season.
Rhys Hoskins fouled out with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth and heard a chorus of boos as he walked to the dugout. Harper struck out swinging at a 3-2 pitch to send it to extra innings.
“I could care less about that,” Hoskins said of the boos. “We won the game.”
Mike Morin (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings for the win.
Phillies starter Jason Vargas allowed four runs and seven hits in six-plus innings.
“This one was a must-have,” Vargas said. “Guys came up big. Sean came up big there. We just fought to the end.”
Pirates starter Joe Musgrove gave up two runs and five hits, striking out six in six innings.
Kevin Newman’s two-run single off reliever Jared Hughes in the seventh gave the Pirates a 4-2 lead.
Brad Miller slammed an opposite-field, two-run shot in the fourth to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Miller was only 4 for 27 with two RBIs since his last homer on July 16.
The Pirates cut it to 2-1 in the fifth when Adam Frazier ripped a double with two outs and Musgrove smacked an RBI single off the left field wall.
NO RUN ZONE
Realmuto threw out three runners trying to steal second base. He has nailed 33 of 75 runners trying to steal this season.
BENCHED
Phillies 2B Cesar Hernandez wasn’t in the starting lineup because he didn’t run hard on a ball off the wall in Sunday’s 3-2 loss at Miami. Hernandez thought he hit a homer and settled for a single when it didn’t go out. He scored when Hoskins followed with a homer. Manager Gabe Kapler said: “It’s not a punishment. It’s a response.”
DADDY’S BACK
Harper returned following the birth of his son, Krew Aron. 3B Maikel Franco was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room on the roster.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: INF-OF Scott Kingery left the game with abdominal soreness but Kapler said after the game it was gastrointestinal and not a muscular injury. … OF Jay Bruce (left flexor strain) is scheduled to play two rehab games Friday and Saturday. … RHP Pat Neshek (hamstring) is considering an injection and possibly surgery.
UP NEXT
LHP Drew Smyly (2-6, 6.99 ERA) starts for the Phillies and LHP Steven Brault (3-3, 3.98) goes for the Pirates on Tuesday night.
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Bauer rocked as Pirates beat Reds 9-8 for three-game sweep
By JOHN PERROTTO Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Trevor Bauer had another rocky outing for Cincinnati, allowing eight runs in three innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Reds 9-8 Sunday to sweep a three-game series.
Since being acquired from the Cleveland Indians prior to the July 31 trade deadline, Bauer (10-11) is 1-3 with a 7.62 ERA in five starts. Seven of the runs charged to him Sunday were earned, and he had two walks and two strikeouts.
Bryan Reynolds hit a bases-loaded triple high off the right field wall to cap a three-run second inning that put the Pirates ahead for good at 5-3. The sweep was Pittsburgh’s first since taking three from San Diego on June 21-23.
Eugenio Suarez’s leadoff home run in the ninth inning drew the Reds within a run, but Felipe Vazquez retired the last three hitters for his 23rd save in 25 opportunities.
Pirates leadoff hitter Kevin Newman went 4 for 4, was hit by a pitch and stole two bases in helping send Cincinnati to its sixth straight road loss. Pittsburgh has won 10 consecutive games at home against the Reds, dating to last season.
Dario Agrazal (3-3) allowed four runs in five innings to end his three-game losing streak. The rookie struck out five and walked two.
Starling Marte’s run-scoring double with two outs in the eighth proved critical as it gave Pittsburgh a two-run lead at 9-7. Cincinnati rookie Josh VanMeter hit a two-run home run in the top of the inning that cleared the right field stands and bounced into the Allegheny River to make it a one-run game.
Kyle Farmer also homered for the Reds and Jose Iglesias had three hits.
The Pirates led 8-3 by the end of the third inning.
Newman led off the first with a double and scored on a single by Reynolds before Josh Bell hit a sacrifice fly drew Pittsburgh 3-2. After Reynolds put the Pirates ahead an inning later, Jose Osuna hit an RBI double, and Agrazal and Newman also drove in runs in a three-run third.
The Reds jumped on Agrazal for three runs in the first on consecutive RBI singles by Aristides Aquino and Iglesias and a sacrifice fly by Curt Casali.
Farmer hit a solo shot in the sixth off Michael Feliz to get Cincinnati within 8-5.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: CF Nick Senzel (sore right thumb) did not start for a second straight game but pinch-hit in the sixth inning and struck out. … 1B Joey Votto (lower back strain) fielded ground balls but isn’t expected to be activated from the injured list for at least a few more days.
Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl and RHP Edgar Santana, both rehabbing from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery, are throwing bullpens and expected to be at full strength when spring training begins in February.
UP NEXT
Reds: Begin a four-game series Monday night as RHP Sonny Gray (9-6, 2.92) is scheduled to start against LHP Caleb Smith (8-7, 3.82). Gray is 7-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his last 12 starts.
Pirates: Open a three-game series at Philadelphia on Monday night with RHP Joe Musgrove (8-12, 4.74) pitching against LHP Jason Vargas (6-6, 3.99). In four August starters, Musgrove is 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA.
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Bell tops 100 RBIs, Pirates cruise past Reds 14-0
By WES CROSBY Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Josh Bell isn’t done.
That was the defining message from the All-Star first baseman after he topped 100 RBIs for the first time in the majors, hitting a three-run homer as the Pittsburgh Pirates routed the Cincinnati Reds 14-0 on Saturday night.
“There’s a lot of weight on that number, so it’s cool to get that out of the way,” Bell said. “I’ll strive for more. So it’s cool to kind of have that check go off on that box.”
After Colin Moran gave Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead with a pinch-hit grand slam in the sixth inning, Bell lined a fastball from Kevin Gausman into the left-field bleachers in the seventh to reach 102 RBIs.
That’s the highest total from a Pirates player during manager Clint Hurdle’s nine seasons in Pittsburgh, passing Pedro Alvarez’ 100 RBIs from 2013.
“He still has a month-plus to play,” Hurdle said. “There’s absolutely value in (topping 100 RBIs). Back in the day, you hit 20 (home runs) and 100, you were a bad dude. You were one of the baddest dudes in the league. … One hundred is still a yard marker.”
Bell’s career-high 32 home runs matched Bobby Bonilla’s mark from 1990 for the most by a Pirates switch-hitter.
The Pirates have won the first two games against Cincinnati after entering the three-game series 8-30 since the All-Star break. The Reds lost their ninth straight game at PNC Park dating to an 8-6 win on June 17, 2018.
Moran’s grand slam was his fourth in the majors. He sent a curveball from Lucas Sims 396 feet to right field for his major league career-high 12th homer.
Trevor Williams (6-6) allowed three hits with three strikeouts in six innings, recovering from giving up six earned runs in two innings against Washington in his last start.
“I know I’m a good pitcher,” Williams said. “I know my coaches trust me and my teammates trust me. The beautiful thing about baseball, and also the really crummy thing about baseball, is bad games are going to happen and bad stretches are going to happen. It’s just a matter of what you’re going to do to pull yourself out.”
Two of the three hits off Williams were the first two of the season for Reds starter Alex Wood (1-3). Wood allowed four earned runs on two hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
“Overall I thought it was good,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to tip your cap. I felt good. Hopefully, I’ll build on tonight and go from there.”
Wood was pulled after hitting Bell to load the bases with one out in the sixth. A single off Sims from José Osuna produced Pittsburgh’s third run before Moran entered for his grand slam.
“I thought that was his best start since he’s been with us,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I don’t know what happened there his last inning. He just lost his feel for the strikes a little bit, walked a couple and hit a batter.”
“You know, at that point, given how Williams was pitching and since we had to try to keep it right there, we had a groundball and then the Moran pinch-hit grand slam was the big play of the game,” he said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: 1B Joey Votto will not return from his low back strain when eligible to be activated from the 10-day injured list Sunday, but is progressing well, Bell said. He was placed on the IL on Aug. 18 (retroactive to Aug. 15). … C Curt Casali returned from a rehabilitation assignment with a sprained right knee and was reinstated from the 10-day IL. … INF/OF Brian O’Grady was optioned to Triple-A Louisville.
UP NEXT
Reds: RHP Trevor Bauer (10-10, 4.06) will try to avoid a third straight loss when he takes the mound against Pittsburgh on Sunday. He is 2-4 in eight starts since going 4-0 in five starts from June 16-July 7.
Pirates: RHP Dario Agrazal (2-3, 4.09) is looking for his first win since July 6 entering Sunday. He is 0-3 in six appearances (five starts) since.
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