Harper jacks 3 homers for first hits of ’24 season

PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper homered for his first three hits of the season, including a grand slam, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-4 on Tuesday night.

Brandon Marsh also connected for Philadelphia, which bounced back nicely after dropping the series opener Monday. Spencer Turnbull struck out seven in five effective innings.

“It felt good going up there and hitting three homers,” Harper said. “It was really cool. But obviously I thought Spencer threw the ball really well. … It was just really good from the pitching side.”

Harper went 0-for-11 with a walk while playing in three of the Phillies’ first four games, but he broke out in a big way against the Reds.

The two-time National League MVP hit a solo shot in the first and fourth innings against Graham Ashcraft. He capped Philadelphia’s five-run seventh against Brent Suter with his seventh career grand slam, a 422-foot drive to right-center.

It was Harper’s second career three-homer game and his 26th multihomer game overall. He finished with a career-best six RBIs.

“He had a great night that’s for sure,” Reds manager David Bell said. “That’s the story. It’s never about just one player, but he had a great game. He absolutely beat us tonight.”

It was the first time a Phillies player hit three home runs in a game at Citizens Bank Park since Jayson Werth on May 16, 2008, against Toronto.

“He had a really good day,” said Turnbull, who made his Phillies debut. “It was awesome to see. It’s really fun to see guys get hot — especially like that. I’m sure I’ll always remember that part.”

Playing in cold and rainy conditions, the teams combined for five errors, including two by Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Cincinnati also had a wild pitch, and the Phillies had a passed ball.

Ashcraft (0-1) was charged with three runs, two earned, and four hits in his first start of the season.

Spencer Steer had three hits for the Reds, including an RBI single in the ninth. He hit a grand slam in the 10th inning of Cincinnati’s 6-3 victory Monday night.

Turnbull (1-0) allowed an unearned run and three hits. The right-hander was thrust into the rotation when Taijuan Walker was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury at the end of spring training.

Ricardo Pinto pitched four innings for his first career save in his first big league appearance since 2019. He allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits.

Pinto was added to the roster when the Phillies designated right-hander Connor Brogdon for assignment before the win. Brogdon was a key piece of the team’s bullpen when it made to the 2022 World Series, but he allowed six runs in his first three appearances this year.

Pinto didn’t arrive at the ballpark until the fourth inning. The Phillies couldn’t get him a flight from Rochester, where he was with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, so he had to make an eight-hour drive.

“He got stuck in traffic,” manager Rob Thomson said. “But that’s a baseball player. It’s like American Legion.”

Pinto, 30, said he always knew he’d make it back to the major leagues one day because he’s more mature now than he was five years ago.

“I never gave up on this,” Pinto said through an interpreter. “I feel that I’m mentally in a better position than I was before. I did not have that maturity on the mound.”