For seven innings, this looked like the kind of tight, low-scoring game that can turn on one mistake. Then the Reds’ bullpen and defense gave Miami all the opening it needed.
Cincinnati and the Marlins traded zeros through the first five innings, with Eury Perez and Nick Lodolo matching each other pitch for pitch. Lodolo had worked 73 pitches through those five frames before the Reds turned things over to Julian Garcia in the sixth. Garcia handled the inning cleanly, and Perez, despite issuing his fifth walk of the day, kept Miami off the board in the bottom half.
Garcia returned for the seventh and kept the shutout intact, while Miami went to Josh Ekness after Perez reached 100 pitches through six. Ekness faced the bottom of the Reds order and, like just about everything else early in the game, the inning ended with another zero.
The lid finally came off in the eighth, and it came apart fast for Cincinnati. Tejay Antone started the inning and retired the first two batters before Heriberto Hernandez broke the scoreless tie with a solo home run.
The inning then widened when Elly De La Cruz threw high on a routine grounder, pulling Sal Stewart off the bag at first and extending the frame. Antone followed that with a single and a walk to load the bases, then issued another walk to force in a run and make it 2-0.
Ron Marinaccio took over, worked into a full count, and struck out Esteury Ruiz to leave the bases loaded.
Cincinnati answered immediately in the bottom of the eighth. Tyler Stephenson, pinch hitting for Ke’Bryan Hayes on his 30th birthday, launched a home run to cut the deficit to 2-1. Elly De La Cruz also sent a ball deep, but it was caught on the warning track in center, and the Reds headed to the ninth still trailing by one.
That’s where Miami put the game away. Marinaccio came back out and retired the first two hitters before a walk and a hit by pitch opened the door.
Agustin Ramirez doubled over Noelvi Marte’s head to drive in two, another walk followed, and Javier Sanoja then crushed a three-run home run to blow the game open at 7-1. The next two batters reached on errors, then another walk loaded the bases, but Marinaccio finally ended the inning with a strikeout after stranding all three runners.
Cincinnati couldn’t answer in the bottom of the ninth, and the Marlins closed out the 7-1 win to take the series.
Jose Trevino collected two of the Reds’ four hits. Eugenio Suarez went 1-for-2 and drew two walks. The bullpen and defense didn’t hold up, and the offense didn’t do nearly enough to cover for it.
Monday August 17th, 1:40pm ET (Game 1), 6:40pm ET (Game 2)
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