CINCINNATI -- Jerad Eickhoff pitched very well in his season debut.
Unfortunately for the Phillies, Brandon Finnegan pitched better.
Finnegan outdueled Eickhoff as the Cincinnati Reds hung a 2-0 defeat on the Phillies at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday night.
Joey Votto's solo homer against Eickhoff leading off the bottom of the seventh was the game's big hit.
Two days after pounding out seven extra-base hits in a 4-3 win over the Reds on opening day, the Phillies had just four singles in the game. They struck out 13 times.
The start of the game was delayed 50 minutes by rain.
MLB
The Phils are 1-1.
Starting pitching report
Eickhoff gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings as he delivered a quality start in his first outing of the season. He had 20 of them in 33 outings last season.
The right-hander pitched shutout ball through six innings. He was tagged for a solo homer by Votto leading off the bottom of the seventh. He then gave up a double and a two-out single before exiting.
Eickhoff scattered five hits, walked one and struck out six.
Phillies' starting pitching has given up just three runs in 11 2/3 innings to start the season.
Finnegan pitched seven innings of one-hit ball. He walked one and struck out nine. The lefty gave up a single to Maikel Franco with two outs in the first inning then retired 19 straight before exiting.
Bullpen report
Joely Rodriguez and Pat Neshek pitched scoreless ball in their season debuts.
The Phillies opened the top of the eighth with a pair of infield singles against Michael Lorenzen. The hard-throwing right-hander pitched out of trouble by striking out Freddy Galvis and pinch-hitter Michael Saunders before retiring Cesar Hernandez on a ground ball.
Raisel Iglesias came on for the ninth and recorded the save.
At the plate
Maikel Franco had a hard-hit single in the first inning. The Phillies' other three hits were singles that did not leave the infield.
Votto's homer against Eickhoff came on a 1-0 curveball. Adam Duvall followed Votto's homer with a double and scored on a two-out hit by Zack Cozart.
Lineup stuff
With a lefty on the mound and a host of right-handed opposing pitchers on deck, manager Pete Mackanin gave right-handed hitting Aaron Altherr the start in right field against the lefty Finnegan. That meant lefty-hitting Saunders was on the bench. Mackanin has no plans to platoon Saunders and Altherr.
"I'm not platooning Saunders," Mackanin said. "I just need to get Altherr some at-bats. He hasn't played since Friday. I need to keep guys sharp so when I ask them to pinch-hit they've at least had an at-bat."
Mackanin said he would use Brock Stassi, Andrew Knapp and Daniel Nava in the starting lineup Thursday.
Up next
The series concludes on Thursday afternoon. Right-hander Clay Buchholz makes his season and Phillies debut against right-hander Rookie Davis, who will be making his major-league debut.