NLDS Game 2: Reds at Phillies

File photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

After getting no-hit in Game 1, the Reds try to bounce back tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

How do you recover from getting no-hit in the playoffs? It's not like we have a large sample of previous instances to base our predictions on. Until Roy Halladay no-hit the Reds the other night, it had only happened once before in the 110-year history of the baseball postseason. So how did the 1956 Dodgers respond to Don Larsen's perfect game? Actually, they bounced right back and won Game 6 of the World Series, 1-0 in 10 innings, behind starter Clem Labine, who went the distance to outduel the Yankees' Bob Turley. Who knew?

It may require a similar pitching effort from Bronson Arroyo tonight, because the Phillies are sending ace No. 2 to the mound in Roy Oswalt. (Cole Hamels still to come in Game 3 Sunday.) Dusty Baker is going with a couple of lineup changes, benching left fielder Johny Gomes in favor of Laynce Nix (career 9-for-17, with three doubles and two homers off Oswalt) and putting Ryan Hanigan behind the plate instead of Ramon Hernandez.

Placido Polanco returns to the Phillies lineup after missing Game 1 with a back injury. He's a vital piece to that lineup, a fantastic No. 2 hitter and a great bridge from the speedy Shane Victorino at the top to Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth in the middle.

I'm heading out to dinner with Mrs. Z and the in-laws, so I may miss most of this game. Please keep up the conversation with each other, and I'll be back later with thoughts on Braves-Giants...

NL DIVISION SERIES — GAME 2
CINCINNATI REDS at
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 6:07 p.m.
TV: TBS Radio: WTNT-570 AM

Weather: Clear, 70 degrees

REDS
2B Brandon Phillips
SS Orlando Cabrera
1B Joey Votto
3B Scott Rolen
LF Laynce Nix
RF Jay Bruce
CF Drew Stubbs
C Ryan Hanigan
P Bronson Arroyo

PHILLIES
CF Shane Victorino
3B Placido Polanco
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
RF Jayson Werth
SS Jimmy Rollins
LF Raul Ibanez
C Carlos Ruiz
P Roy Oswalt

8:39 p.m. -- What do you know, we've got another humdinger going on. The Reds are clinging to a 4-3 lead after six innings of a game that saw Brandon Phillips atone for making the final out of Roy Halladay's no-hitter by homering off Roy Oswalt to open this game. Cincinnati opened up a 4-0 lead and knocked out Oswalt. But the Phillies have clawed back to score three times in the last two innings, thanks in part to a crazy bottom of the sixth in which four straight batters reached without recording a hit: walk, hit by pitch, hit by pitch, walk. Somehow, Logan Ondrusek got out of it without allowing the tying run to score. Now it looks like Aroldis Chapman will pitch the seventh, with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard due up. Could be fun.

9:06 p.m. -- So much for Chapman's triumphant postseason debut, though you can't really blame the Cuban lefty for that. His defense completely let him down in the seventh, first when Scott Rolen made an ill-advised (and late) throw to second instead of taking the safe throw to first, and then when Jay Bruce completely missed a sinking liner right at him (possibly because he lost it in the lights) and then when Brandon Phillips dropped the ensuing relay throw. That's four errors for the Reds tonight, and now that 4-0 lead has turned into a 6-4 deficit. U-G-L-Y.

9:46 p.m. -- That'll do it. Down 4-0 in the fifth, the Phillies scored seven unanswered runs (five of them unearned) and won 7-4. So they're up 2-0 in the series heading to Cincy. Let's face it, though: The Reds lost this one more than the Phillies won it. OK, onto Braves-Giants...