PHILADELPHIA _ Nick Williams sat in the dugout for the first eight innings of Monday night's 6-5 win over the Reds, finding a familiar spot on the bench after starting just three of the first nine games. The outfielder was waiting for an opportunity.
His chance came with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and Williams delivered.
Williams blasted a pinch-hit homer to right-center field at Citizens Bank Park to break a 5-5 tie. He worked a 3-0 count against Cincinnati right-hander Kevin Quackenbush before pouncing on a 3-1 fastball.
Williams met with manager Gabe Kapler on Friday after airing his grievances about being left out of the lineup. They had a "heart to heart" and found common ground. Williams apologized and the disruption lasted just a few hours. His homer on Monday was the best argument he could make.
It was a needed win for the Phillies, who opened a series against one of the National League's weaker teams. If the Phillies are to make noise this season, the first month of the season will be crucial. They handled the Marlins over the weekend and have to do the same with the Reds before heading to Tampa Bay this weekend to play the even lesser Rays.
Hector Neris retired three of the four batters he faced in the ninth to earn his first save of the season. Jose Peraza struck out swinging and Joey Votto lined out to a perfectly shifted Cesar Hernandez in short right field before Tucker Barnhart made the last out by looking at a nasty splitter for strike three.
Adam Morgan, Yacksel Rios, and Luis Garcia pieced together three relief innings to keep the score tied until Williams went to the plate.
Rhys Hoskins hit a two-run homer in the first and Scott Kingery hit his first career homer with a solo shot in the second. Carlos Santana scored twice and had a few hard-hit balls, offering some hope that his .182 average could soon turn around.
Kapler was hard-pressed to find a spot for Williams as he shuffles five outfielders for three positions. The situation became more complicated once Kingery was added to the roster and would find some time in the outfield.
Ben Lively allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings. Kapler chose to push Lively into the sixth inning even though the pitcher had already thrown 86 pitches and was not exactly cruising. The manager had been cautious with his starting pitching early in the season and Lively was a curious choice to become the first pitcher permitted to reach 100 pitches.
He started the sixth by allowing the first two batters to reach before producing a double-play ball to bring up Billy Hamilton with a runner on third. Hamilton laced a sharp grounder back to the mound, but it deflected off Lively's hand and Phillip Ervin scored to tie the game, ending Lively's night. The pitcher did just enough to keep the Phillies in the game.
Lively appeared to be in for a disastrous night when he loaded the bases in the first inning and walked in a run without recording an out. But he recovered. Lively retired the next seven batters, four on strikeouts. He gave up a two-run homer in the third to Barnhart and a RBI double in the fourth to Scooter Gennett.
Lively was not perfect, but he finished much better than expected after the way his night began.
