Justin Crawford drove home pinch runner Derek Hill for the game’s only run to support seven masterful innings from Jesus Luzardo as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies claimed the rubber game with the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 on Thursday night.
Luzardo (8-4) outdueled Cincinnati starter Brady Singer (3-9) to improve to 6-0 in 11 road starts this season.
Jonathan Bowlan pitched a perfect eighth and Jhoan Duran handled the ninth for his 23rd save in 24 chances this season.
JJ Bleday opened the ninth with a nine-pitch at-bat that ended with a single off Duran. Bleday stole second and Duran hit Spencer Steer with a pitch to put runners on first and second with none out. Duran then fanned Eugenio Suarez and Tyler Stephenson, and Noelvi Marte grounded out to third as Duran escaped with the save.
The Phillies finally broke a stalemate in the eighth when Singer hit Gabriel Rincones Jr. to open the inning. Hill entered the game and moved to second on a J.T. Realmuto groundout before scoring on Crawford’s single to right.
Singer walked Trea Turner and his night was over after a season-high 7 1/3 innings; he allowed four hits and one walk, striking out five.
Luzardo was pulled after seven innings, allowing just two hits, striking out 11 and walking two. Luzardo now has a 1.38 ERA in 11 road starts.
Before allowing a single to Kyle Schwarber to open the seventh, Singer had retired 13 straight. Through the first six innings, the Cincinnati starter had allowed only a two-out double to Bryson Stott in the second.
Schwarber was immediately erased on a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Bryce Harper. Brandon Marsh followed with a single to right-center and Singer hit Alec Bohm. But Stott flew out to center to end Philadelphia’s best threat to that point.
Singer was remarkably efficient, needing just 67 pitches to complete six innings.
Luzardo was just as impressive. The lefty yielded only one hit, a two-out single to Stephenson in the second, through the first four innings. His biggest trouble came in the fifth when he walked Marte with one out and allowed a two-out single to TJ Friedl. But Elly De La Cruz grounded into an inning-ending fielder’s choice to get Luzardo out of trouble.
