Phillies lose to Reds 9-6 on July 4, 2025. Despite a Nick Castellanos homer, a rough start from Jesús Luzardo and stranded runners doomed the Phils' offense.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
The holiday fireworks at Citizens Bank Park came early, but ultimately fizzled out. Despite racking up 14 hits and getting a massive two-run blast from Nick Castellanos, the Philadelphia Phillies dropped their Independence Day matchup to the Cincinnati Reds 9-6. A disastrous third inning from starter Jesús Luzardo and a series of squandered opportunities with runners on base left fans with a frustrating sense of what could have been.
We ran out of time on getting the proper angle. So, I still don’t know if he was safe or out.
Things couldn't have started better. After an early run, Nick Castellanos sent a two-run homer into the left-field seats, giving the Phillies a roaring 3-0 lead in the first. The holiday crowd was electric, but the energy was short-lived. The Reds erupted in the third inning, tagging starter Jesús Luzardo for six runs before he could be pulled. Cincinnati's five-run frame, punctuated by a two-RBI double from Spencer Steer, completely flipped the script and put the Phillies in a hole they'd spend the rest of the night trying to escape.
The story of the night was missed chances. The Phillies loaded the bases in the third but couldn't push a run across. They threatened again in the fourth and fifth, only to come up empty. The frustration peaked in the fourth when Edmundo Sosa was called out on a bang-bang play at the plate, a call manager Rob Thomson couldn't challenge in time. The final gut punch came in the eighth, when Alec Bohm struck out against Reds reliever Tony Santillan with the bases loaded, extinguishing the team's last real threat.
Even in a loss, there were positive signs for the Fightins. The bullpen was spectacular, with Daniel Robert, Jordan Romano, and Max Lazar combining for three perfect innings of relief to keep the game within reach. Their dominance kept hope alive late into the game. Even more encouraging was the return of Brandon Marsh. Coming off the bench as a pinch-hitter in the sixth, Marsh promptly singled, sparking a rally that cut the deficit to 9-6. Seeing him back and immediately contributing is a major silver lining.
It's a frustrating loss, no doubt, especially on a holiday in front of a packed house. But it's one game in a long season. The key takeaways are clear: the starting pitching needs to provide more length, and the offense, for all its firepower, must find a way to deliver the knockout blow with runners on base. With the bullpen looking sharp and Brandon Marsh back in the fold, the pieces are there. Now it's time to flush this one and come back tomorrow ready to even the series against the Reds.
