By HAL McCOY
On this night in Philadelphia, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tim Adleman could have patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell, with no help from Davy Crockett.
Adleman, who had never pitched beyond seven innings in his major league career, pitched a one-hit shutout over eight innings as the Reds stopped the Phillies, 5-2.
It looked as if he could easily pitch a complete game, but manager Bryan Price removed him after eight innings and 100 pitches.
And it nearly proved disastrous. The Phillies scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth against Asher Wojciechowski and Raisel Iglesias. And they had two on and the potential tying run at home plate when Iglesias struck out Maikel Franco on a 3-and-2 pitch to end it.
Price told Fox Sports Ohio after the game that he removed Adleman because with Amir Garrett on the disabled list, Wojciechowski is going to pitch Tuesday in Toronto, “And if we didn’t get him some work it would be 10 days since he pitched.”
ADLEMAN WAS THROWING ground-seeking missiles at the Futile Fillies (16-and-30), coaxing 15 ground ball outs.
Adleman gave up a one-out single to Andres Blanco in he first inning and no more hits. Only three other Phillies reached base — a hit batsman in the first, a walk in the seventh and a walk in the eighth.
At one point he retired 16 straight and had five 1-2-3 innings in a row.
THE REDS SCORED ALL the runs Adleman needed in the first inning when they took a 2-0 lead.
Billy Hamilton began the game with a nine-pitch full-count walk, then stole second and third, giving him a league-leading 25 steals.
Joey Votto went 0 for 4, ending his streak of reaching base in 27 straight games, but his ground ball to second base scored Hamilton.
ADAM DUVALL THEN HOMERED into the left field seats, his 11th, and only the second home run given up this season by Phillies starter Aaron Nola.
Scott Schebler made it three home runs given up by Nola leading off the second, mashing one over the center field wall for his league-leading 14th home run and a 3-0 lead.
The Reds pushed their advantage to 5-0 in the sixth on back-to-back singles by Duvall and Eugenio Suarez to start the inning and a two-run single by Jose Peraza, lifting his hitting streak to 12 games.
ADLEMAN WAS IN A BIT of a muddle in the first inning when Blanco singled with one out and Adleman hit Aaron Altherr with a pitch — two on, one out.
But Tommy Joseph hit into a double play.
After retiring 16 straight, Adleman walked Blanco to start the seventh, but started an inning-ending double play.
Wojciechowski retired the first hitter in the ninth, but gave up a double to Odubel Herrera who was 0 for 13 and came into the game with seven straight strikeouts. Then Wojo walked Blanco and Altherr doubled for a run.
Iglesias took over and Joseph reached base when first baseman Votto dropped a throw for an error that filled the bases with one out.
MICHAEL SAUNDERS GROUNDED into a force play as the second run scored before Iglesias ended it with the strikeout of Franco.
Offensively, the Reds made the most of seven hits and the five runs gave them four or more runs for the 10th straight game.