Rangel and Southpaw Relievers Get Tagged In Phillies Loss
Philadelphia Phillies J.T. Realmuto loses control of his bat during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The Phillies dropped Wednesday’s mid-series matchup to the Reds in blowout fashion despite tagging three runs on Cincinnati’s ace in his five innings of work. The loss was started by the Phillies’ back-of-the-rotation starter, Alan Rangel, who gets trotted out every five days to eat a few innings.
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly rolled out a southpaw-dominated lineup with Bryce Harper at the top and a string of lefties in Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott following to counteract Reds’ starter Chase Burns, who has posted a 2.40 ERA through 17 starts in 2026.
Unfortunately, the Home Run Derby hopefuls, Harper and Schwarber, went down easily against the right-hander, and Brandon Marsh would be the only lefty to reach in the top half after working an eight-pitch walk.
Rangel got himself into early trouble, walking Sal Stewart and JJ Bleday, putting a runner in scoring position with one out, but bore down and struck out the next two Reds.
The kids — Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Justin Crawford — kicked the scoring off in the top of the second frame. Rincones Jr. notched his sixth hit in as many games in July with a 112.7-MPH double off the top of the wall. Crawford brought him home and put himself 90 feet away from it with a 105-MPH triple down the right-field line.
The speedster would score on a wild pitch out of Burns’ hand.
Rangel returned to the mound, though not for long, as he needed 13 pitches to retire the side, striking out two along the way.
Back to the top of the lineup in the third, and the “hopefuls” put two quick outs on the board in three pitches. But the announcer’s jinx, rather a manifestation in this case, worked as ESPN’s national crew discussed Marsh’s high batting average on balls in play (BABIP), and Marsh split the left side of the infield with a single that had an expected batting average of .280.
Burns nearly got tagged for another run with Stott’s near 100-MPH flyball, but TJ Friedl slammed into the wall, making a catch that may remind Phillies fans of Chas McCormick‘s catch in the 2022 World Series.
On the other hand, Rangel was unable to keep a zero off the scoreboard in the third. The right-hander hung a changeup to Elly De La Cruz, who roped a double into right field, and Stewart brought him and himself in with a two-run bomb into right field.
Rangel walked another Red, but put Spencer Steer down, looking to end the frame.
The fourth inning wasn’t smooth for either pitcher, but at least one made it out. Burns walked three, including the leadoff man, Bohm, but produced a double play and a fly out to escape unscathed. However, Rangel allowed a leadoff home run to Noelvi Marte to break the tie. Mattingly pulled him for Tanner Banks, who got teed off on, allowing three consecutive home runs and a double, which extended the Reds’ lead to 7-2.
But the Phils started to claw back.
They added one in the fifth without recording a hit, as Harper and Schwarber led the inning off with a pair of walks. Harper advanced the rest of the way with two fly balls off the bat of Marsh, then Bryson Stott.
Max Lazar bridged the fifth inning and, despite mis-footing by Harper, collected two outs on balls in play. J.T. Realmuto brought the game closer with a wall-scraping home run, and momentum started to shift as Edmundo Sosa singled and Harper worked his second walk of the night. But Schwarber was beaten in the lefty-lefty matchup, and the top of the sixth ended.
But just when you’re in, they pull you back out. Jose Alvarado handled the sixth, walking the first two batters, allowing an RBI single, then walking Steer to load the bases with two outs. Marte turned on a 2-1 cutter middle-middle and cleared the bases, extending Cincinnati’s lead to 11-4.
Brad Keller and Tim Mayza put a pair of zeroes on the board in the seventh and eighth, but the Reds relievers cruised through the Phillies lineup in those innings, allowing a few baserunners, although no real threat with a seven-run lead.
It took until the ninth for a Chris Paul-esque home run off the bat of Schwarber to give the Phillies fans something to cheer for. However, the Reds would close out their six-run lead and take the series to a rubber match on Wednesday, with Jesus Luzardo toeing the rubber.
Sean Regenye
Sean Regenye is a junior broadcast journalism major at Penn State University. He is a die-hard Philly sports fan and loves baseball, especially the Phillies.
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