CINCINNATI.– Dominican Jhoan Durán once again showed his dominance from the mound by securing his 23rd save of the season, guiding the Philadelphia Phillies to a narrow 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night.
You might be interested in: Juan Soto consolidates his elite status with his fifth All-Star Game
Durán closed the ninth inning with ice in his veins. After allowing a single to JJ Bleday and hitting Spencer Steer, the Dominican right-hander reacted by striking out Eugenio Suárez and Tyler Stephenson before retiring Noelvi Marte with a groundout, thus securing his 23rd save in 24 opportunities.
The win went to left-hander Jesús Luzardo (8-4), who pitched seven solid innings of just two hits and struck out 11. Recently named to his first All-Star Game as a replacement, Luzardo improved to 6-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 11 road starts this season.
The only run of the game came in the eighth inning. After a hit-by-pitch to Gabriel Rincones Jr., pinch runner Derek Hill advanced to second and scored on a single by Justin Crawford to right field, enough to decide the tight pitching duel.
Cincinnati starter Brady Singer (3-9) also had an outstanding performance, allowing just three hits and striking out five batters over seven innings, but he took the loss after Philadelphia’s decisive attack in the eighth inning.
With the victory, the Phillies halted a Cincinnati offense that was coming off hitting five home runs the previous day and limited the Reds to just three hits throughout the entire game.
More Read
Philadelphia will begin a weekend series this Friday against the Detroit Tigers with Aaron Nola as the starter, while Cincinnati will host the Chicago Cubs with Hunter Greene on the mound.
