PHILADELPHIA -- With the winning run at third base in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday night, Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jonathan Papelbon grabbed a bat, pulled on a helmet and headed for the on-deck circle.

"He snuck out there," manager Ryne Sandberg said with a smile, "but not to convince me (to let him hit)."

Sandberg, naturally, had other plans. He sent Darin Ruf up to hit for Papelbon, and he punched an RBI single to right field, lifting the Phillies to a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds and ending a seven-game losing streak.

Rookie third baseman Maikel Franco hit a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth for Philadelphia. Second baseman Chase Utley also homered for the Phils, who rallied from a 4-1 deficit.

First baseman Joey Votto went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Reds, who saw a three-game winning streak end.

Philadelphia center fielder Odubel Herrera led off the ninth by doubling off Tony Cingrani (0-2), the fourth Cincinnati pitcher. Catcher Carlos Ruiz sacrificed, bringing Ruf to the plate.

He passed Papelbon on his way there.

"He said, 'You're lucky you're getting to pinch hit for me,' " Ruf said with a smile. "He's a great hitter, so I had some big shoes to fill."

Papelbon hit a 1-1 fastball from Cingrani over a drawn-in infield and into short right field. That ended it and gave Papelbon (1-0), who worked a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth, his first victory since June 11, 2014, against San Diego.

Ruf's star turn was just as rare. He began the night hitting .216 in 36 games, and was just 1-for-10 as a pinch hitter.

"The potential's there," Sandberg said. "I have a lot of confidence in that spot with him, and he came up big."

"It definitely feels good," Ruf said, adding that it is especially gratifying to "still have the confidence from the manager and in myself to be able to get the job done."

Cincinnati's Jonny Cueto, scratched from his scheduled start on May 24 at Cleveland by a sore right elbow, went six innings and allowed two runs (one earned) and five hits, while striking out four.

Philadelphia starter Sean O'Sullivan went 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs and nine hits, while striking out one, walking one and hitting a batter.

Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips led off the game with a single and scored on a double by Votto, but the Phillies tied the game with an unearned run in the second. Third baseman Maikel Franco reached on an error by third baseman Todd Frazier, and two batters later, Franco scored on an infield groundout by center fielder Odubel Herrera.

The Phillips-Votto combination struck again in the third. Phillips led off the inning with a double and scored on Votto's single.

The Reds increased their lead to 4-1 by scoring twice in the fourth. Left fielder Marlon Byrd and shortstop Zack Cozart opened the inning with doubles to produce the first run, and after Cueto sacrificed Cozart to third, center fielder Billy Hamilton delivered him with a squeeze bunt.

Utley, who went 3-for-4, led off the sixth with his fourth homer of the season, and his first since May 1, 26 games earlier. That cut the gap to 4-2.

Franco hit his game-tying two-run homer off reliever Jumbo Diaz in the eighth. It came after right fielder Jay Bruce lost a two-out liner by first baseman Ryan Howard in the lights, a ball that fell for a double.

"It was a helpless feeling," Bruce said. "I just couldn't see it. I don't know what else I could do. It's frustrating."

Franco then hit a 2-1 pitch from Diaz into the seats in left field.

"It hurts," Reds manager Bryan Price said of the loss. "Two outs and nobody on, and the ball gets lost in the lights."

NOTES: Reds LF Marlon Byrd suffered a broken wrist when he was hit by a pitch from Philadelphia RHP Sean O'Sullivan in the sixth. The seve