The Philadelphia Phillies have been rolling. The team has taken advantage of the New York Mets' recent slump by winning seven of the last nine games and building a lead in the division. But on Wednesday, the Phillies broke out the circus music and added a wild blooper to the reel.

Philadelphia took on the Cincinnati Reds in the rubber match of a three-game series. The Phillies had a red-hot Cristopher Sanchez on the mound going up against Reds’ ace Hunter Greene. The two dueled through five innings before the wheels fell off for the Phillies in the sixth.

Elly De La Cruz got things started for Cincinnati with a single. He scored from first on an Austin Hays double to left, giving the Reds a 2-0 lead. Then the comedy of errors began.

Noelvi Marte singled to shallow left field and Brandon Marsh fired home as Hays attempted to score. However, the throw was high and catcher J.T. Realmuto couldn’t come down with it. Hays scored and Marte, who took second base on Marsh’s throw, broke for third.

Sanchez was backing up Realmuto at home. The pitcher grabbed the ball and slung it to third base but the throw was wide of the bag. It caromed off Otto Kemp’s glove and back into left field. Marte jogged home to score on a little league home run.

Phillies’ errors allow Reds to clear bases

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte (16) high fives Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stevenson (37) after scoring on a double with a fielders choice and an error in the sixth inning between Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Aug. 13, 2025.
Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The ugly series included two throwing errors and put the Reds up 4-0. In the following inning, Miguel Andujar put the game away with a grand slam off of Phillies reliever Jordan Romano.

Five Cincinnati pitchers combined to shut out Philadelphia as the Reds won 8-0. However, Greene was the main attraction. The fourth-year starter allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out six in six scoreless innings. Greene is now 5-3 with a 2.47 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 12 starts this season.

The Phillies are confident in their World Series chances as the team pulls away in the NL East. Despite the loss, Philadelphia maintains a five-game lead over the Mets in the division. But Wednesday’s sloppy defensive effort is all fans are focused on at the moment.

Matt asked:
“People are saying this is the real team to beat in the NL??”

Diego Arce vented:
“Never ever again am I touching this team. They can’t score a single run in a must win because teams are catching up. They need to pack it up on the season and give up on the World Series because holy they look like kids playing ball”

dukeisadog wondered:
“i’m supposed to believe this team is better than the brewers huh”

And Jon Ratcliffe threw in the towel:

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