The signal came from the dugout in the fourth inning of a forgettable 9-4 Phillies loss. Adam Morgan intentionally walked Tucker Barnhart, Cincinnati's No. 8 hitter, to face the opposing pitcher with the bases loaded.
Morgan could not throw a strike to Dan Straily. He walked the pitcher on four pitches. The crowd groaned as a run scored.
It was that sort of day for the 26-year-old lefthander and his Phillies teammates, who were silenced by a nondescript Reds righthander on a cold, interminable Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Cincinnati hitters swung and missed at three of Morgan's 86 pitches.