By: Brandon Apter, contributor 
Final: Reds 6, Phillies 2 ❖ Attendance: 43,683
Cincinnati, Ohio – Over the last four Opening Day games, the Phillies have gone 0-4 and been outscored in the runs column by 27. Today's opener was more of the same as the Phils failed to snap their Opening Day skid with a loss to the Reds. A Freddy Galvis two-run homer in the second was the only offense the Phillies could produce, as the bullpen broke down late after silencing Reds hitters throughout the first seven innings.
Highlighting today's loss for the Phils was the effort of starter Jeremy Hellickson. Acquired in the offseason from the Diamondbacks, Hellickson was named the teams' Opening Day starter in Spring Training over Aaron Nola and he did not disappoint. His stuff didn't blow anyone away, but in his six shutout innings, he threw 79 pitches, 55 of which were strikes. The 28-year-old right-hander struck Joey Votto out three times and tallied a total of six strikeouts. His opposition, Rasiel Iglesias, pitched well over six innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out seven.
The wheels came undone for the Phillies in the eighth, when David Hernandez took over. The Reds scored five runs runs in the inning off of Phils relievers off of three hits, three walks and a hit batter.
The Phillies have a day off tomorrow before resuming their series with the Reds in Cincinnati, when Aaron Nola and Brandon Finnegan will get the starts for their respective teams.
WP: Daniel Stumpf (1-1, 3.97 ERA) ❖ LP: Tony Sipp (0-1, 4.50 ERA) ❖ SV: Danny Barnes (1)
Hub: Game Summary ❖ Starting Pitchers ❖ At the Plate ❖ Bullpen ❖ What's Next
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| PHI | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| CIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | X | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Cesar Hernandez doubled to lead off the game and was stranded on second. Zack Cozart led off the bottom of the inning and scored on the next play, thanks to an error by Ryan Howard. Eugenio Suarez reached on a missed catch error, plating Cozart, giving the Reds an early 1-0 lead.
The Phillies struck back in the second. Carlos Ruiz started things off with a single and that was followed by back-to-back strikeouts from Cedric Hunter and Peter Bourjos. With two down, Freddy Galvis hit a two-run homer to right center field, putting the Phils ahead 2-1. The Phillies had two on with one down in the third, but were unable to bring home a run.
Cincinnati's bats were silent for most of the day, but they woke up in the eighth. David Hernandez took over for the Phillies and walked Adam Duvall. Scott Schebler followed with a double to right, moving Tyler Holt, the pinch-runner, to third. With none out and two in scoring position, Hernandez walked Billy Hamilton to load the bases. Pete Mackanin opted to go to the bullpen, bringing in James Russell to get out of the jam. Zack Cozart welcomed him to the game with a sacrifice fly, tying the game at two. Eugenio Surez walked and then Joey Votto singled to drive in two, giving the Reds a 4-2 lead. That was the end of the day for Russell, who was lifted for Hector Neris. He hit the first batter he faced, Brandon Phillips, and Jay Bruce hit a two-run single, extending the lead to 6-2 heading into the ninth.
J.J. Hoover set the Phillies down in the ninth 1-2-3, but it was with some help from his outfield. Tyler Holt made a diving catch to retire Carlos Ruiz before Billy Hamilton robbed Cedric Hunter of a hit in center with a diving grab.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Hellickson | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Raisel Iglesias | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3.00 |
Phillies
- Freddy Galvis: 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI
- Cesar Hernandez: 2-4, 2B
- Carlos Ruiz: 1-4, R
Reds
- Zack Cozart: 3-3, 2 2B, R
- Joey Votto: 1-4, 2 RBI, 3 K,
- Jay Bruce: 1-4, 2 RBI, K
Phillies
- Jeanmar Gomez: 1.0 IP, 1 K
- David Hernandez: 0.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB
- James Russell: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB
- Hector Neris: 0.2 IP, 1 H
Reds
- Jumbo Diaz: 1.1 IP, 1 K, 0.00 ERA
- Tony Cingrani: 0.1, 1 BB, 1 K
- Ross Ohldendorf: 0.1 IP, 1 K
- J.J. Hoover: 1.0 IP
What's Next
- Wednesday, April 6, 2016: at Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 p.m.
- Great American Ball Park
- RHP Aaron Nola (2015: 6-2, 3.59 ERA) vs. LHP Brandon Finnegan (2015: 5-2, 3.56 ERA)
- TV: CSN, ESPN2; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
