KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Split Series With Marlins
What looked to be another series victory to begin the second half quickly turned to a split on Thursday afternoon. Hunter Strickland needed just three outs to secure the victory for the Cincinnati Reds but failed to record even one. The Miami Marlins turned a 5-4 deficit into a 7-5 lead and eventually won 7-6 to split the series at two games apiece.
Cincinnati will remain at Great American Ball Park for a three game weekend interleague series against the Baltimore Orioles. Veteran left-hander Mike Minor is scheduled to take the mound at 6:40 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday night. Tyler Mahle and Nick Lodolo are also set to make starts on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Jonathan India Grand Slam Headlines Offensive Explosion
The Cincinnati Reds offense came to life on Monday night at Great American Ball Park. 16 hits led to 11 runs in a series-opening blowout win over the Miami Marlins. Kyle Farmer and Donovan Solano got the party started in the bottom of the third. Farmer singled in a run and then Solano drove in two to make it a 3-1 game for the Reds. However, the Marlins scored on a wild pitch in the fourth to get it back within one run at 3-2.
Things really started to open up for Cincinnati in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Brandon Drury connected on his team-leading 19th home run to drive in three runs. Then, in the fifth, Jonathan India belted his first career grand slam sending one 409 feet into the left field seats to ballon the lead to 10-2.
On the back of a strong start by Nick Lodolo the Reds went on to cruise to a 11-2 victory. The rookie left-hander pitched six innings allowing two runs, zero earned, on five hits while striking out nine batters. He is now 3-3 with a 4.73 earned run average.
Reds Collect Just Two Hits, Marlins Even Series
A night after exploding for 11 runs on 16 hits, the Cincinnati Reds managed just one run on two hits. Their lone run, and therefore half of the hits, came on one swing of the bat in the fifth inning by Mike Moustakas. Outside of that solo home run the bats couldn’t do anything against Marlins starter Pablo Lopez. Lopez struck out 11 batters in seven innings to secure the victory for Miami.
The Marlins two runs came via a single by shortstop Joey Wendle in the top of the fifth inning. Those two proved to be all they needed to take the game 2-1 and even the series at one game a piece.
Reds Fans Say Goodbye to Luis Castillo
The trade deadline is quickly approaching and all signs point to Wednesday night being Luis Castillo’s last outing in a Cincinnati Reds uniform. La Piedra turned in one more dazzling performance at Great American Ball Park. Castillo went seven innings allowing three runs on six hits and struck out eight. The Marlins had runners on second and third with nobody out in the seventh, but Castillo struck out three straight to get out of the jam. He left the field to a standing ovation from the Cincinnati faithful.
In the month of August, the Reds ace made four starts and turned in seven innings of work in each. Across those 28 innings he has a 1.93 earned run average, has struck out 30 batters, and, most importantly, the Reds have won all four of those games.
At the plate, Castillo got early run support to the tune of four first inning runs. Kyle Farmer doubled to left field to score Tommy Pham and Brandon Drury making it 2-0. Then, Donovan Solano and Matt Reynolds had back-to-back RBI singles to make it 4-0. That was all the offense that the Reds pitching staff needed. After Castillo’s great seven innings, Alexis Diaz and Hunter Strickland shut the door to take a 5-3 win.
If that was, in fact, the last chance we got to watch Luis Castillo in a Cincinnati Reds uniform he certainly went out in style. Thanks for the memories, La Piedra!
Bullpen Blows Lead in 9th Inning
The Cincinnati Reds were three outs away from winning three out of four games in this series. However, Hunter Strickland failed to record an out in a save situation to allow the Miami Marlins to climb on top. In a 5-4 game, pinch-hitter Jesus Sanchez hit a home run to immediately tie the game. Then, after a walk and hit batter, Joey Wendle doubled to drive in two runs and make it 7-5 Marlins.
Cincinnati fought back and had the game-tying run at second base in the bottom half of the ninth, but Joey Votto struck out to end the game. It was another frustrating loss in what has been a very long season for Reds fans. The Marlins won 7-6.
Also, later in the evening on Thursday, outfielder Tyler Naquin was sent to the New York Mets for a couple of minor league prospects. At the time of this post, Luis Castillo has yet to be traded. The Major League Baseball trade deadline is Tuesday, August 2nd.
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