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Marlins 5 Reds 4
That can't happen. Yet it did. And that's a damn shame.
Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz hit a first pitch fastball from Alexis Diaz for a go-ahead homer leading off the 9th and the Marlins stunned the Reds 5-4 Wednesday afternoon at GABP. The Reds have lost 8 of 9 and are now 10-16 since the All-Star break.
The Reds had led 4-1 with two outs in the 8th when Josh Bell hit a game-tying, three-run homer off Sam Moll. The lefty had replaced Ian Gibaut with two outs to face the MLB's leading hitter in LHB Luis Arraez. But Arraez singled to extend the inning. Then Bell did his thing on the first pitch he saw. Yes, it was a fastball.
Last shot: Stuart Fairchild singled with two outs in the 9th to bring Elly De La Cruz to the plate. He struck out swinging vs David Robertson to end the game.
Ashcraft: 7 IN, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K, HR, 103 pitches/72 strikes. He got 11 ground ball outs. Per Joel Luckhaupt: 18 swings and misses ties his career high for a MLB start. Last 8 starts: 1.94 ERA.
Bullpen: Ian Gibaut 0.2, H, R .........Sam Moll 0.1, 2 H, 2 R, HR, allowed Gibaut's inherited runner to score..... Alexis Diaz 1.0 IN, HR, 2B, BB.
Big day: CES 2 H, HR, 3 RBI.
Due: Steer hit a 4th inning solo homer 402-feet into the upper deck (100.6mph) to put the Reds on the board and tie the game 1-1. He had been crushing
the ball with little to show for it. Earlier in the game, he had lined out at 100.9 mph. Last night: lineout at 107.4 mph, groundout at 101.7 mph.
Singular: Joey Votto collected three singles, including an infield hit and two rockets. His previous four hits had been homers. It was his second three hit game of the season (July 5). He had one three hit game in 91 appearances last season. Updated 2023 season total: 13 singles, 4 doubles, 13 homers.
Elly's day: 2 for 5.....2 K. Sharp single/thrown out trying to stretch to a 2B, infield single/picked off 1st. His 1st multi hit game since 4 hit day vs Dodgers,
July 30.
Shimmy shake: Cueto 5 IN, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 HR, 77 pitches.
More complaints: Jorge Soler and Skip Schumaker were each tossed after arguing with home plate ump Bill Miller in the 8th.
Hey, MLB: Attendance up all over the game, playoff races, young stars, fast paced games, athleticism on full display……..and every single game the poor performance of umpires and official scoring becomes part of the story.
Hold on: Rain delayed the start of the game by 45 minutes (1:10).
Quote of note: 'What do you think a guy like Bell or Soler are looking for when they come to the plate late in the game?" -The Cowboy
How the Reds scored:
4th Steer 2-out HR (18), 1-1
4th CES 2-out, 2-run HR (3), 3-1 Reds
6th CES RBI 1B, 4-1 Reds