Christian Encarnacion-Strand leads a big day for the Reds' offense in win over Phillies

For the last several years, the Cincinnati Reds have struggled with pitchers like the one they beat on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez is a left-handed groundball pitcher with a standout changeup. He entered Tuesday’s game with a 2.95 ERA, and he struck out eight batters when he faced the Reds earlier this year. But this time, the Reds’ offense broke through by stringing together productive two-out singles.Sánchez only lasted three innings and allowed five runs as the Reds claimed an 8-1 win over the Phillies. Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand provided the spark on offense, filling the role that the Reds had in mind for him this season.

Encarnacion-Strand, who entered the game with a .190 batting average, hit a game-tying RBI single in the first inning and a go-ahead RBI single in the third inning. With a compact swing, Encarnacion-Strand put the ball in play both times with two outs and hit sharp low line drives that produced a run.

The Reds pulled ahead in a four-run third inning, which also included RBI singles with two outs from Nick Martini and Santiago Espinal. Then in the fifth inning, shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit a two-run homer off Phillies reliever Yunior Marte.

Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott allowed one run in 4 ⅔ innings. Reliever Fernando Cruz inherited a jam with the bases loaded and got out of it in the fifth inning in a game-saving moment.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Christian Encarnacion-Strand key for Reds offense in win over Phillies