By JACK McCAFFERY
jmccaffery@delcotimes.com
PHILADELPHIA - As the Phillies began, perhaps for the final time, to concoct some unlikely math to yield postseason fantasies, they twice were reminded Tuesday why the effort was doomed to be wasted.
In the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Antonio Bastardo re-alerted them that their bullpen is broken. And after a second consecutive night of impressive offensive counter-punching, Jonathan Papelbon bold-faced the point in the ninth.

After the Phils rallied to force a 4-4 tie in the eighth, Zack Cozart redirected Papelbon's first pitch into the left field seats. Shortly after, the Phils' three-game winning streak was over. Their playoff road - which was at least open enough earlier in the night for it to have been a discussion piece - was clogged again, too.
“I think there’s no sense of me even talking about that until we get down to the end of the season,” Charlie Manuel said. “Baseball is consistency, it’s a season. Sometimes one month doesn't make a good year. Two weeks don’t make a good year. Definitely one day doesn't. That’s what it’s all about. It’s a team effort. Everybody has to contribute and do their job.
“At the same time, I get excited when I see somebody do something real good. But can you do it on a consistent basis?”
The Phillies had plenty of reasons to excite a crowd of 45,091, particularly in the eighth. That's when Frandsen sliced a two-out triple into the right-field corner to deliver a head-first-sliding Domonic Brown from first to force a 4-4 tie, temporarily obscuring the ineffectiveness of Bastardo. That's because, in the eighth, Bastardo had surrendered a home run to Todd Frazier, good for a 4-3 Cincinnati lead.
By then, Cliff Lee had already been assured a no-decision, despite a nine-strikeout start. His record remained at 2-7. Lee allowed just two earned runs and walked one in 6 2-3 innings, yet was unable to collect his first win of the season in Citizens Bank Park.
After collecting 12 runs and 15 hits a night earlier, the Phillies continued the rampage in the first inning Tuesday. Jimmy Rollins hustled safely to first on an error by second baseman Brandon Phillips, then rushed to third on a Chase Utley single. Ryan Howard, who'd homered Monday, delivered Rollins with a long single off the right field wall.
Kevin Frandsen, who was back at third base after a night off to accommodate the return of Placido Polanco from the disabled list, helped preserve the Phils' 1-0 lead in the sixth. The Reds having loaded the bases with no outs, Ryan Ludwick laced a shot appearing destined to squeeze between third and short. But Frandsen made a diving stop, spun and, from his knees, threw home to force Cozart out, Erik Kratz nicely having blocked the plate. Jay Bruce then grounded into a double play.
The Reds tied the game in the seventh when Scott Rolen drilled a leadoff double to left-center and Todd Frazier walked. Rolen scored on Ryan Hanigan's single to center, and when Howard bobbled the throw from John Mayberry, the Reds had runners on second and third with no outs.
Lee fanned Homer Bailey, but Cozart gave the Reds a 2-1 lead with a sacrifice fly RBI to center. Drew Stubbs lined Lee's 117th pitch to left, scoring Hanigan for a 3-1 lead, and Charlie Manuel finally called for B.J. Rosenberg. Rosenberg coaxed Drew Stubbs into a grounder to second that Utley mishandled for the Phils' second error of the inning. But he struck out Brandon Phillips on a fast ball.
Frandsen hit a one-out single in the seventh, then went to third on an Erik Kratz double into the left-field corner.
Dusty Baker replaced Bailey, his starter, with left-hander Sean Marshall, who promptly walked pinch-hitter Ty Wigginton on four pitches to load the bases for Jimmy Rollins. Rollins, batting right-handed, pulled a double into the corner to force a 3-3 tie.
Manuel went for the lead, asking Juan Pierre to deliver Wigginton with a suicide-squeeze. While Pierre's bunt was clean, Marshall covered it quickly and tossed to Hanigan, who survived a collision with Wigginton to preserve the 3-3 tie and ensuring a no-decision for the 2-7 Lee.
Rollins was stranded at third when Utley muscled a soft liner to second.
Bastardo replaced Rosenberg for the eighth and surrendered Frazier's 18th home run of the season for a 4-3 lead that Dusty Baker entrusted to Jonathan Broxton.
Broxton walked Howard to open the eighth, but Mayberry hit into a double play. Brown survived on what was ruled a base hit off the glove of Phillips at second and roared home from first on Frandsen's opposite-field triple into the right-field corner.
The Phils did stir in the ninth when Polanco had a leadoff single. But Rollins could not move him with a sacrifice bunt. Rollins did steal second, then hustled to third with two outs. But Aroldis Chapman struck Utley out.
The Phillies are five games over .500 since the All-Star break, and have won six of their last 10.
“That,” Manuel said, “is encouraging.”
Such was the thinking, before the game - and before that bullpen door started to swing.