Reds can’t catch Phils, literally

If the question was how the Cincinnati Reds would handle the bright lights of the postseason, now we have the answer.

The lights along the third-base upper deck may have won Game 2 of this National League division series for the Phillies. Cincinnati outfielder Jay Bruce turned a routine fly out into two Phillies runs by closing his glove about a foot from the baseball.

"It was a routine popup," Bruce said. "It went into the lights and it never came out until I saw it hit the ground. The atmosphere was different."

Fittingly, the game-changing play originated from the bat of Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Two days earlier, Rollins was describing his best defensive play in Roy Halladay's Game 1 no-hitter. The grounder that ticked off the mound wasn't hard to get to, Rollins said, but it was hard to see for all the white rally towels.

"We need to get some red towels," Rollins said.

He didn't mention changing to red light bulbs.

Bruce's error was the back-breaking moment in one of the craziest innings you're likely ever to see. Two nights after Halladay painted his masterpiece, the Reds and Phillies spattered paint all over the same Citizens Bank Park canvas. Game 2 included 14 hits, six errors and three hit batters.

Or was it two hit batters?

Rollins' towel-aided shot was set up by a stunning turn of events. It must be noted for the record that Kate Smith and Lauren Hart may have some company now. Philadelphia legend Bunny Sigler sang "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch. It is safe to say the Phillies' fortunes took an immediate turn for the better.

Nursing a one-run lead, and with lefthanded stars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard due up in the bottom of the seventh, Reds manager Dusty Baker unleashed Aroldis Chapman for the first time in this series. The rookie was everything the hype said he would be, hitting 100 m.p.h. on the Bank's radar gun on his very first pitch to Utley.

It was the third pitch, which registered 101, that started the Phillies' bizarre rally. Utley leaned back to avoid the high-inside fastball. Plate umpire Bruce Dreckman immediately gestured that the ball had hit Utley, who trotted down to first base holding his left hand.

No trainers emerged from the dugout to check on the superstar second baseman. Utley leaned forward at the bag, concealing what seemed to be a mischievous smile.

Two days ago, Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena appeared to be hit with a very similar pitch from Texas' Cliff Lee. The umpires said the ball nicked his bat. Instead of bringing home a run (the bases were loaded at the time), Pena wound up striking out. It was the first of a number of umpiring decisions that have drawn criticism around baseball.

Maybe Dreckman had that in mind. Maybe it was the fact that two Phillies had been hit by Logan Ondrusek pitches in the previous inning. Maybe the ball really did hit Utley.

Either way, Utley was on first when Howard swung and missed at three blazing Chapman fastballs. And he broke for second when Jayson Werth chopped a ball toward Scott Rolen at third base. Rolen, who had a costly error earlier in the game, inexplicably tried to get Utley at second instead of the sure out at first. Umpire Ed Rapuano called Utley safe.

Now maybe Rapuano was thinking of the apparently blown call in the San Francisco-Atlanta game Thursday night. Buster Posey was called safe stealing second even though he was clearly out. Posey went on to score that game's only run.

Whatever the back story, the Phillies had runners on first and second with one out as Rollins stepped into the righthanded batter's box. The crowd, lulled into a five-inning slumber as the Phillies flailed at Bronson Arroyo's seemingly hittable stuff, was awake now. Chapman's heat and the improbable mistake by Rolen, the boo sponge who is having a miserable series, had the rally towels out and waving.

Bruce stunned everyone, especially himself. Utley scored easily despite the late start (and missing third base). Centerfield Drew Stubbs threw the ball to second baseman Brandon Phillips, who dropped it. That second error on the play allowed Werth to score the go-ahead run.

The Reds, making their first postseason appearance in 15 years, had blown an excellent chance to beat Roy Oswalt, take homefield advantage away from the Phillies and give themselves a real chance in this series.

With things slip-sliding into slapstick around them, the experienced Phillies kept their composure and took advantage of every mistake. The ever-cool Rollins thought he'd caught a sinking line drive in the top of the eighth. He showed the ball to Rapuano, who signaled that the ball bounced, then turned and threw out the runner, anyway.

Cool. Composed. And now, with a 2-0 lead in this series and Cole Hamels set to pitch Game 3 Sunday in Cincinnati, the Phillies have complete control of this series - thanks to an out-of-control inning and rally towels that really did create a rally.