Fraley sends home go-ahead run after 4 laborious PAs

PHILADELPHIA -- Citizens Bank Park has offered the Reds no sanctuary or clemency in their history of playing against the Phillies. Their winning percentage of .317 (20-43) entering Sunday was their lowest at any road ballpark.

This weekend, which included Saturday's heartbreaker of a walk-off loss, has been no exception. But the way designated hitter Jake Fraley figured on Sunday, it was a time for some good fortune. That fortune came in the top of the ninth inning when Fraley’s bases-loaded double scored three runs to secure a 6-4 victory over Philadelphia, prevent a series sweep and snap a three-game losing streak.

“That’s why you keep playing the game,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I think it’s why we keep coming back for more in this game. It’s a great game. You have to keep playing. You have to keep going. You have to keep competing. That’s what [the Phillies] did last night and that’s what we did today. We bounced back. They all count the same, but sometimes it’s a little tougher on certain days.”

Cincinnati was down, 4-3, heading into the ninth against Phillies closer Seranthony Domínguez when Stuart Fairchild drew a four-pitch walk with one out and stole second base. Jonathan India followed with a five-pitch walk of his own and TJ Friedl hit a soft roller to the hole at shortstop for an infield single that loaded the bases.

Fraley fell into a 0-2 count and successfully checked his swing on the third pitch to avoid a strikeout. On the next pitch, a 99 mph four-seam fastball, Fraley lifted the ball into short right field down the line. As it rolled toward the corner, all three runners scored.

The ball came off the bat at only 72.5 mph, but the damage was significant.

“That’s the beauty of baseball,” Fraley said. “You just grind your butt off and put together good at-bats, good things will happen.”

It may have seemed like a cheap hit, but Fraley certainly paid his dues for it on Sunday.

• Against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker, Fraley drew an eight-pitch walk in the first inning.
• In the fourth, Fraley worked Walker for nine pitches before striking out.
• Another nine-pitch plate appearance against Walker ended with a walk to finish the starter’s outing in the fifth.
• In the eighth against Craig Kimbrel, Fraley hit a 104.7 mph line drive that was caught in center field on pitch No. 7.

“Oh yeah. I earned it,” Fraley said. “It’s one of those things where that’s how baseball is. You can’t worry about the outcomes because the outcomes aren’t in your control. You just focus on putting together good at-bats, seeing the ball, hitting the ball hard and then over the course of time, things work out if you continue to have those quality at-bats.”

This season's first week has been a polar opposite from the early going of 2022 for Fraley. He batted .116 with one homer through his first 15 games as a Red following his Spring Training trade from Seattle. Then a foot injury knocked him out for about three months.

In 53 games in the second half, Fraley batted .295 with a .903 OPS and 11 homers. He leads the Reds with 33 RBIs since he was activated from the injured list on July 29.

“He’s dedicated in every possible way to becoming the player he believes he can be,” Bell said. “It’s not only at the plate. It’s defensively, it’s on the bases. He’s completely in it, doing everything he possibly can to help our team win. It’s great. When you’re able to contribute in a big way to a win like that and see that pay off, it’s very rewarding.”

Like Fraley, the Reds are in a better place as a club a year after a disastrous 3-22 start. Now 4-4, the Reds have their fourth win in 22 fewer games than it took to get to that mark in 2022.

Credit for Sunday's comeback also belongs to the bullpen. After Connor Overton was pulled with 65 pitches in four-plus innings and left trailing, 4-2, the bullpen faced the minimum the rest of the way. Fernando Cruz got six straight outs, and Kevin Herget earned his first big league win with two scoreless innings.

Ian Gibaut pitched the bottom of the ninth for the save.

“It’s a rough place for everybody with the fans, the fan base that they have, the pitching staff that they have, the lineup that they have, they have a very good team over there," Fraley said of Citizens Bank Park. “This was a huge win for us. We were in every single one of these games here, which is big.”