CINCINNATI _ Bryce Harper walked slowly across the outfield and into the Phillies' dugout.
Try as he might, he couldn't save another game for the Phillies.
Harper made a leaping attempt at the right-field wall, but Phillip Ervin's drive sailed over his outstretched glove and into the seats in the 11th inning to give the Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 victory over the Phillies on Thursday at Great American Ball Park.
Ervin's blast ended a 3-hour, 36-minute marathon and doomed the Phillies to an unsatisfying split of a four-game series with one of the worst teams in the National League after taking the first two games earlier in the week.
With the loss, the Phillies slipped to 3{ games behind the Chicago Cubs in the chase for the NL's second wild-card berth. The Cubs play Thursday night and can extend the margin to four games with 23 games remaining.
The seventh-inning rally began with a one-out single by Scott Kingery. After Cesar Hernandez drew a walk, Adam Haseley singled through the right side. Reds right fielder Aristides Aquino bobbled the ball, allowing Kingery to come around and score.
J.T. Realmuto got the Phillies even in the eighth inning, turning around a 96-mph heater from Reds reliever Robert Stephenson for a solo homer to left field. In addition to tying the game, Realmuto set career-high marks with his 22nd homer and his 75th RBI.
And the big hit came after Realmuto made another perfect throw to end the bottom of the seventh. The play unfolded with Alex Blandino singling to right field. Harper made a strong throw to the plate to hold Michael Lorenzen at third base, but Realmuto fired to second base to cut down Jose Peraza, who was caught off the base.
For five innings _ or two times through the batting order _ the starting pitchers dueled. Sonny Gray limited the Phillies to one run on Realmuto's triple and Rhys Hoskins' double in the fourth inning. Vargas, meanwhile, gave up only two hits in what was shaping up to be his best start yet for the Phillies.
But the Reds took care of that in a span of two pitches in the sixth inning.
Alex Blandino notched his first hit of the season, a one-out double to left field. Jose Iglesias, who put the Reds ahead with a solo homer in the eighth inning Wednesday night, slugged a two-run shot to left field on a first-pitch fastball to open a 2-1 lead.
In four games against the Reds, Phillies starters Drew Smyly, Vince Velasquez, Aaron Nola and Vargas went 5?, three, four and 5? innings, respectively. The early exits were due in part to both poor performance and manager Gabe Kapler's increased aggressiveness to use a bullpen that is overflowing with 11 relievers thanks to expanded September rosters.
Regardless, though, it's difficult to imagine the Phillies going on a sustained winning streak without more effectiveness from their rotation.
