INSTANT REACTION: Reds Melt Down in Eighth Inning, Fall 4-1 to Phillies

CINCINNATI -- That was brutal, to say the least.

In the snap of a finger, the Reds went from a 1-0 lead and their ace heading towards maybe a complete game shutout to a defensive and bullpen meltdown and a 4-1 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Let's waste no time and dive into what happened in the top of the eighth and how it contributed to Monday night's loss, and overshadowed Abbott's brilliant performance.

What Was That In The Top Of The 8th?

Another, and obvious, question is what Gavin Lux was doing in left field? It should be clear, now 120 games into the season, that he cannot play defense in left field. Breaking news: left fielders must be able to play defense to be successful every day at the position.

Lux has struggled fielding the position throughout the season. So, with a 1-0 lead and your ace on the mound in the top of the eighth, why is Lux still out there in left field? Santiago Espinal could have been out there. Jake Fraley could have been out there. Will Benson could have been out there. Oh, wait, Benson is in AAA. Why again? If only the answer were obvious. It's about as confusing as this Reds defense.

Literally just the inning before, we saw Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte both make incredible plays to keep the Reds in front 1-0.

Then with two outs in the top of the eighth, it all unraveled. It started with Gavin Lux bobbling a ball in the left field corner that allowed Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa to score from first base on a double.

The next batter, Trea Turner, lined a single to left field, with Weston Wilson rounding third. Lux's throw home was way high and well off line. Two batters, two hits, two terrible plays in left field, and the Reds went from a 1-0 lead with their ace on the mound to trailing 2-1 and their ace on the hook for the loss.

To add salt to the wound, Kyle Schwarber homered to make it 4-1 Phillies after Abbott was taken out of the game.

Still, though, when we think this Reds defense has overcome its deficiencies, innings like the top of the eighth happen. It's frustrating that there are still misfits playing multiple different positions in the field.

Andrew Abbott's Brilliant Performance Overshadowed

That's a word to put it generously: "overshadowed." The Reds left-hander was in All-Star form Monday night, pitching a shutout through the first 7 2/3 innings. He threw 104 pitches, with 74 for strikes. Amazingly, he only had six strikeouts.

After a rough previous two outings against the Braves and Cubs, Abbott bounced back nicely against a tough Phillies lineup. Not to mention, he got knocked around by the Phillies back on the Fourth of July.

Notes And Observations

The Reds went 2-7 with runners in scoring position with eight runners left on base.
Gavin Lux did have three hits, including an RBI single in the bottom of the first. Hey, at least there's that.
Tony Santillan threw four pitches Monday night. One of them, Schwarber, smoked it for his 42nd home run of the season.
Seven different Phillies had at least one hit.
Philadelphia went 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left just three runners on base.
Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker went six innings with six hits and one earned run allowed. He threw 93 pitches, 55 for strikes.

On Deck

The series between the Reds and Phillies continues Tuesday night, interestingly the only game this series without a postgame conert following the game.

Reds right-hander Brady Singer (9-9, 4.53 ERA) will start for the Reds against Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez (8-5, 2.94 ERA).

First pitch is at 6:40 E.T. on FanDuel Sports Network Cincinnati and 700WLW.

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