PITTSBURGH _ Bryan Reynolds ran toward the left-field corner on Sunday afternoon, but the Pirates outfielder stopped when he reached the wall, and the Phillies could finally take a deep breath.
They escaped defeat _ by the narrowest of margins _ in two straight innings of a 2-1 win before Rhys Hoskins homered over Reynolds' head in the 11th inning. A win that felt so unlikely was suddenly near. It was a huge hit for the Phillies as they won their first series of the season's second half and did not waste the momentum they built from Thursday's win over the Dodgers.
Zach Eflin says his body feels 'heavy' after getting peppered by Pirates, but he does not know why
Phillies fall to Pirates as offense falls flat
It may have been even bigger for Hoskins, who had just one homer in his last 73 plate appearances. The Phillies' chances to make a run this summer hinge on the performance of their lineup And they'll need their two big horses _ Hoskins and Bryce Harper _ to pull them. Harper is starting to heat up, and Hoskins could be joining him.
In his Phillies debut, Drew Smyly impressed, and the Phillies bullpen held on just long enough to give Hoskins a chance. Hector Neris loaded the bases in the ninth but escaped. Ranger Suarez had the winning run on third base, but he found his way out.
Jean Segura left the game with a sore left heel, J.T. Realmuto was out of the starting lineup, and Brad Miller went 0-for-3 while starting for Maikel Franco. Roman Quinn doubled with one out in the 10th, but the next two batters went down easy. The Phillies lineup did not have much, but they had enough.
Smyly allowed just one run in six innings. He struck out eight, walked two, and allowed four hits. The Phillies are searching this month for stability in their starting rotation. The veteran, who struggled this season with Texas after returning from Tommy John surgery, showed Sunday that he could provide that. Smyly allowed a first-inning run but avoided trouble the rest of the way. He kept the Pirates off balance with a bevy of off-speed pitches, as his average velocity was just 86 mph.
