• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Latos, Bruce guide Reds over Phils

Sep 5, 2012 - 5:21 AM Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Mat Latos threw seven strong innings to guide the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-1 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

Latos (12-4) gave up just one run on four hits, walked two and struck out six to earn his second consecutive win.

Jay Bruce smacked a two-run homer for the Reds, winners in six of their last eight. Bruce has homered in three straight games and four of his last five contests overall.

Aroldis Chapman stranded a runner in the ninth to earn his 35th save of the season.

"Time and time again it's been great to know you can go six or seven innings and turn it over to the bullpen and it's going to by automatic lights out for those guys," Latos said.

Kyle Kendrick (8-10) was tagged with the loss after giving up Bruce's homer in the sixth inning. He allowed six hits and struck out three over six innings as he had a four-start winning streak snapped.

"He was good, he was real good," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Kendrick. "He made a mistake, looked like a change up, to Bruce. He left it over the plate and (Bruce) smoked it."

Jimmy Rollins picked up his 2,000th career hit with a double in the fifth inning, and Domonic Brown drew a bases loaded walk to pick up an RBI for the Phillies, who fell for just the second time in six games.

"It was just another hit," Rollins said.

With the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, Brown worked a walk that forced Utley home to snap a scoreless deadlock.

The inning ended in controversy, however. Nate Schierholtz ripped a sinking line drive to center. The ball was clearly trapped by Drew Stubbs, who fielded the ball after an obvious short hop. He recovered, then fired to Brandon Phillips at second for an inning-ending double play.

First base umpire Chris Guccione ruled it a catch to cause confusion on the field, and a brief meeting of the umpires failed to bring to light the obvious missed call. Ryan Howard, who was on third, would have scored on the play to give the visitors a 2-1 edge.

That was a bad break, we would have had a a hit there and a run for sure with the bases loaded. It is kind of the way everything happens for us," Manuel said.

Fate intervened in the bottom of the sixth, as Ryan Ludwick singled with two outs and Bruce roped a line drive over the wall in right field to put the hosts on top for good.

The Phils failed to make headway in the seventh and eighth.

With a runner on in the ninth thanks to a John Mayberry walk, Ty Wigginton came on to pinch-hit for Brown. Wigginton lifted a fly ball deep to left field, but it was caught on the warning track and Placido Polanco struck out to end the game.

Game Notes

Prior to the game the Reds activated first baseman Joey Votto from the 15-day disabled list. Votto, the 2010 NL MVP, has been out of action since July 15 after undergoing a pair of arthoscopic surgeries to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee ... Cincinatti also recalled pitchers Todd Redmond and Pedro Villarreal from Triple-A Louisville and purchased the contract of pitcher Tony Cingrani from Double-A Pensacola ... Rollins joins Mike Schmidt (2,234), Richie Ashburn (2,217) and Ed Delanhanty (2,207) as the only players to record 2,000 hits as a member of the Phillies ... Rollins' 1,500th hit came against the Reds on May 21, 2009.