PHILADELPHIA -- Many fans were still settling into their seats at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday when Jonathan India swatted a leadoff homer off Phillies starter Aaron Nola.

That proved to be a sign of things to come on a day when India once again bolstered his already impressive resume for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The 24-year-old second baseman tallied three hits and three runs in the Reds' 7-4 victory in Philadelphia.

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After flashing his power with the first-inning homer, India put his speed on full display two innings later when he raced home from first base on a Shogo Akiyama double down the left-field line. India reached a sprint speed of 29.4 feet per second on the play -- just shy of Statcast's 30.0 ft./sec. threshold for elite speed -- before diving headfirst across home plate to beat the relay throw.

“He had a couple games where he didn’t get a hit, which is no big deal,” manager David Bell said of India, who entered Sunday just 3-for-25 in his last seven games. “But at the same time, to be able to bounce back from that and have a game like he did today, just continues to show us what he can do and how valuable and how important he is to our team."

India's all-around effort helped offset the fact that he was the only one of the top three hitters in Cincinnati's lineup to finish the game. Nick Castellanos, the club's No. 3 hitter, was ejected in the first inning after arguing a pair of strike calls following a strikeout (Bell was also tossed after coming to Castellanos' defense).

Meanwhile, Jesse Winker, who had missed the last two games due to a mild intercostal strain, was replaced in left field -- and the No. 2 spot in the order -- by Aristides Aquino to start the bottom of the third inning. Winker felt the same issue crop up in the final swing of his second at-bat and will be reevaluated prior to the club’s series opener against the Cubs on Monday.

“This is a big momentum win for the upcoming games. It started off with some guys coming out, Casty and Wink, but a lot of guys stepped up,” India said. “Shogo stepped up huge for us this game. That was awesome to see. I’m so happy for him. Then [Tyler] Stephenson came up big and Tucker [Barnhart] came up big. It was a great team win and we’re going to keep going.”

Those were the two words the Reds kept circling back to after securing the series win in Philadelphia: Team and momentum.

Akiyama had a pair of hits after taking over Castellanos. Barnhart hit an RBI double to give the team some breathing room in the eighth, then scored when Stephenson came through with a pinch-hit two-run homer for his third home run in as many games.

Cincinnati’s bullpen also stepped up, starting with Lucas Sims escaping a two-on, two-out jam in the fifth that he inherited from Sonny Gray. Sims ultimately retired all four batters he faced, including two via strikeout. Michael Lorenzen struck out one in a hitless inning and Mychal Givens slammed the door with 1 1/3 hitless innings of his own.

“This day clearly wasn't about me,” said Gray, who allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings. “It was about timely hitting, it was about our bullpen coming in and shutting the door and giving us 4 1/3 really quality innings. It was about everyone picking each other up. This was a complete team win and it was a great road trip for us.”

Despite dropping their first two games on the trip through Atlanta and Philadelphia, the Reds won three of the last four to finish 3-3 on their six-game swing against the Braves and Phillies -- two teams battling atop the NL East. Now, the Reds return to Cincinnati for a seven-game homestand against a Cubs team that has lost 11 straight games and a Marlins club 16 games below .500.

After defeating Nola and NL Cy Young Award favorite Zack Wheeler in a three-day span this weekend, those matchups certainly present an opportunity for the Reds (64-55) to continue making up ground in the NL Wild Card race. The win moved them to within two games of the Padres (66-53) for the final spot, pending the outcome of San Diego’s game Sunday afternoon in Arizona.

“It was a great team win. That's going to be what it takes the rest of the way,” Bell said.

“I know I’ve said this a lot, and I can’t say it enough -- I’m just really proud of how our team responds to the challenges when it gets tough. That’s really what it’s all about. When you can survive those times and set yourself up to thrive at other times, that’s how you get through the whole year, and that’s how you come out on top at the end.”