PHILADELPHIA – The pitch did exactly what Michael Lorenzen wanted it to do. The Cincinnati Reds right-hander was ahead of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph 0-2, and broke off a curveball he hoped Joseph would chase. It bounced, like many put-away curves do.
But Joseph didn’t swing, and the ricochet careened off catcher Tucker Barnhart and just far enough away from him to allow runner Aaron Altherr to reach second. Two pitches later, Joseph stroked a low fastball to center to score Altherr and send the Reds to a walk-off, 4-3 loss on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.