The Phillies kept the good times rolling Thursday afternoon with a 6-4 win as they completed a four-game sweep of the Reds in Cincinnati for the first time since 1916.
Rookie Vance Worley pitched OK to improve to 10-1. He allowed four runs, on eight hits and a walk while striking out seven in six-plus innings. The righty was rolling, holding a 6-1 lead before he ran into trouble in the seventh. He allowed back-to-back hits to start the inning before giving up a three-run homer to pinch-hitter Chris Heisey.
Further trouble was avoided thanks to a Brad Lidge strikeout and Antonio Bastardo forcing defending NL MVP Joey Votto to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Bastardo pitched a scoreless eighth and Ryan Madson came on to close out his 26th save of the season.
The Phillies got the scoring started off Reds starter Mike Leake (11-9) with one out in the third. Hunter Pence doubled and came around to score on an RBI single by Brian Schneider. After an infield hit by Wilson Valdez, Worley helped himself with an RBI single that scored Raul Ibanez who had walked -- Schneider was thrown out at home on the hit. Shane Victorino than brought home Valdez with a single.
The Phillies would add a solo shot from Ryan Howard -- his 30th of the season. It marked the sixth-straight season Howard has broken the 30-homer mark. Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt holds the team record with nine-straight seasons. And Michael Martinez hit a two-run blast that wound up being the difference.
Howard says the team has no plans on slowing down as they march on towards the postseason.
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"Everybody's playing well," Howard said. "Atlanta's playing well. Milwaukee's playing well. The way I see it, we need to keep our foot on the gas and not let up."
The Phillies (87-46) start a three-game series in Florida Friday as they send Roy Oswalt (6-8, 3.77 ERA) to the mound.
