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  Thursday, May 4 3:05pm ET
Phillies double their fun in 14-1 romp over Reds
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Robert Person knew the Phillies would break out of their hitting slump eventually. He had no idea he'd be the recipient of all the runs.

Doug Glanville went 5-for-5 and Bobby Abreu hit three doubles as Philadelphia, the worst offensive team in the majors, broke loose and beat the Cincinnati Reds 14-1 Thursday.

"I knew we were going to unload on somebody," said Person (2-1), who allowed one run and six hits in seven innings. "I kept saying somebody is in trouble. It's awesome. It's a great feeling. I'm just mad I didn't get a hit."

The Phillies began the first inning with an NL record-tying four straight doubles in taking a 6-0 lead. They finished with 21 hits, with Mike Lieberthal and Rob Ducey each homering.

Philadelphia, which started the game with a .230 batting average and a league-low 90 runs, knocked out Pete Harnisch (0-4) in the first inning. The Phillies won their second in a row after losing nine of 10.

"Hopefully, it was an epiphany," Glanville said. "We always had confidence in our lineup. It was just a matter of time before something happened."

The Phillies took a 3-0 lead when Glanville, Ducey, Abreu and Scott Rolen matched a league record for consecutive doubles in an inning. Glanville added an RBI double in the first.

Abreu doubled in each of the first three innings and had two RBI. Lieberthal had three hits and drove in four runs and Ducey drove in three.

"Offense is always contagious," Lieberthal said.

Every starter except Person had a hit. Every starter except Person and Kevin Jordan knocked in a run.

Lieberthal hit a two-run homer, giving the Phillies a 5-0 lead, and Glanville doubled home another run to cap the six-run first.

Harnisch faced just seven batters. He retired one and allowed six hits and six runs. Elmer Dessens went five innings and allowed eight runs on 14 hits.

"I didn't think it mattered who was pitching," Cincinnati manager Jack McKeon said. "Harnisch didn't have great stuff, but everything he threw, they hit. We just got waxed. That's all."

Person escaped a two-out jam with runners on second and third in the first by getting Eddie Taubensee to fly out to right. The Reds scored their run in the seventh on an RBI single by Juan Castro.

"We had a lot of long innings and he could've sat around and lost concentration," Phillies manager Terry Francona said. "But he didn't. Instead of coming out and throwing as hard as he can, he made good pitches."

The Phillies, off to a 9-18 start, begin a three-game series in Atlanta on Friday. They're already 11 games behind the first-place Braves, who won 15 straight before losing to Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

"The Braves are struggling right now. They lost one and we're hot," Person joked.

Paul ByrdKen Griffey Jr. went 0-for-1 and left the game after three innings with Cincinnati trailing 8-0. Griffey went 0-for-9 in the series as his average fell to .198.

Game notes
While not saying he was misquoted, Paul Byrd said his comments Wednesday night were misinterpreted. After Philadelphia's 5-2 victory, Byrd said the city, the fans and the media are negative. He stressed Thursday that he did not have a problem with the fans, but only wants his teammates to stay positive despite their 9-18 start. ... For the second straight game, Lieberthal fell into the dugout while chasing a foul pop. He didn't hang on to either, but Rico Brogna caught the ball off Lieberthal's glove Wednesday. ... Reliever Carlos Reyes refused his assignment to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. The Phillies have 10 days to trade or release him. ... Cincinnati's Dmitri Young extended his career-best hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning double. ... The 21 hits were the most allowed by Cincinnati pitching this season. It was the most hits the Phillies had since getting 22 against San Diego last August. ... Jason Boyd made his Phillies debut. He struck out two in one inning.

 


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