In a dominant performance, Ranger Suarez and two relievers held the Cincinnati Reds to just two hits, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-0 victory and extending their winning streak to seven games on Monday.
Suarez allowed only two hits and one walk while striking out five batters over seven innings. Gregory Soto and Jeff Hoffman followed in relief to secure the opening game of the four-game series.
Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, and Clemens each contributed two hits for the Phillies, who have now emerged victorious in 15 of their last 21 games and are sitting comfortably seven games over .500 for the season. Suarez has been on a roll, extending his scoreless innings streak to 25, the longest by a Phillies pitcher since Cliff Lee’s 30 2/3 scoreless innings from 2011.
Despite the absence of All-Star first baseman Bryce Harper, who was placed on the paternity list, the Phillies did not skip a beat. Clemens, who was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace Harper, made a significant impact with his three-run homer in the ninth inning.
The Phillies jumped to an early lead in the second inning when Bohm singled and later scored on Bryson Stott’s sacrifice fly. They added another run in the third inning with Johan Rojas’ leadoff triple and Kyle Schwarber’s sacrifice fly. Bohm continued his hot streak with a double in the fourth inning, and the Phillies extended their lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning on J.T. Realmuto’s RBI double.
Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene pitched seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out six. Despite Greene’s efforts, the Phillies’ pitching staff proved to be too much for the Reds to overcome.
