CINCINNATI - The Phillies jogged onto the field without a pitcher in the middle of the seventh in a one-run game. The bullpen bustled as Aaron Nola lingered in the dugout. Pete Mackanin encountered the exact situation he faced two days earlier, and this time he instructed his 22-year-old righthander to continue.
Nola obliged. It did not matter.
But a 3-2 loss to the Reds on a miserable Wednesday night in Ohio was the sort of game that will ease the pain of this season. The cornerstones delivered: Nola dominated while Maikel Franco mashed a fastball. And Dalier Hinojosa, the Cuban defector turned closer, blew it.