Phillies come out hitting in middle of order

CINCINNATI - The Phillies collected seven extra-base hits, scored four runs, and won a game Monday in which Tommy Joseph and Cameron Rupp went a combined 0 for 8 with four strikeouts. Last season, when the Phillies were desperate for offense, Joseph and Rupp were keys.

The Phillies believe their lineup has improved. The middle of the order, two through five, reached base 10 times in the 4-3 win over the Reds. Howie Kendrick lashed three hits. Odubel Herrera doubled and walked twice. Michael Saunders stroked a run-scoring double in the first inning. Maikel Franco singled and walked.

There is depth, and that could breed more runs.

"Yeah," shortstop Freddy Galvis, "I believe it will. Especially because we have two professional hitters. We have Saunders and Kendrick. They've been around. We can pick up stuff from those guys. They're really smart guys when they talk about hitting. We're a team now. We try to stay on the same page. We try to talk a lot to each other and just play hard."

Jeanmar Gomez lost his closer's job at the end of last season but entered this season as the ninth-inning man. So, when he allowed a two-run homer Monday, it raised manager Pete Mackanin's concern level.

But it was one game, and Mackanin wants to continue to extend his trust to Gomez despite other harder-throwing options in his bullpen. Mackanin had Pat Neshek and Joely Rodriguez warming up in the bullpen as Gomez encountered trouble.

"It's very tricky," Mackanin said. "He's earned the right to have the opportunity to be the closer. But at the same time, just because a guy is a closer doesn't mean you can't take him out of the game when he's getting the ball up. So . . . he got the save. He did the job."

Saunders became the Phillies' eighth starting rightfielder in the last eight opening days. The previous seven: Peter Bourjos, Grady Sizemore, Marlon Byrd, John Mayberry Jr., Hunter Pence, Ben Francisco and Jayson Werth. . . . Brock Stassi walked in his major-league debut as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning. . . . Sylvia Green, wife of the late Dallas Green, will throw the ceremonial first pitch Friday before the Phillies' home opener at Citizens Bank Park. . . . The Phillies are off Tuesday. They will return with Jerad Eickhoff against lefty Brandon Finnegan on Wednesday night.