Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper hits a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Philadelphia.
AP Photo | Chris Szagola
PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper homered for his first three hits of the season, including a grand slam, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-4 on Tuesday night.
Brandon Marsh also connected for Philadelphia, which bounced back nicely after dropping the series opener on Monday. Spencer Turnbull struck out seven in five effective innings.
Harper went 0 for 11 with a walk while playing in three of the Phillies’ first four games, but he broke out in a big way against the Reds.
The two-time NL MVP hit a solo shot in the first and fourth innings against Graham Ashcraft. He capped Philadelphia’s five-run seventh against Brent Suter with his seventh career grand slam, a 422-foot drive to right-center.
It was Harper’s second career three-homer game and his 26th multi-homer game overall. He finished with a career-best six RBIs.
It was the first time a Phillies player hit three home runs in a game at Citizens Bank Park since Jayson Werth on May 16, 2008, against Toronto.
Playing in cold and rainy conditions, the teams combined for five errors, including two by Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Cincinnati also had a wild pitch, and the Phillies had a passed ball.
Ashcraft (0-1) was charged with three runs, two earned, and four hits in his first start of the season.
Spencer Steer had three hits for the Reds, including an RBI single in the ninth. He hit a grand slam in the 10th inning of Cincinnati’s 6-3 victory on Monday night.
Turnbull (1-0) allowed an unearned run and three hits. The right-hander was thrust into the rotation when Taijuan Walker was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury at the end of spring training.
Ricardo Pinto pitched four innings for his first career save in his first big league appearance since 2019. He allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits.
Pinto was added to the roster when the Phillies designated right-hander Connor Brogdon for assignment before the win. Brogdon was a key piece of the team’s bullpen when it made it to the 2022 World Series, but he allowed six runs in his first three appearances this year.
UP NEXT
The Reds send RHP Frankie Montas (1-0, 0.00) to the mound to face Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (0-0, 0.00) in the finale of the three-game set on Wednesday. The start time of the game was pushed back due to weather.
