Cabrera's homer lifts Reds to 5-4 win over Marlins
CINCINNATI (AP) - Ramon Cabrera hit a three-run homer, Dan Straily continued his second-half surge and the Cincinnati Reds made it eight wins in 10 series since the All-Star break with a 5-4 victory over the Miami Marlins on Thursday night.
Billy Hamilton used aggressive baserunning to produce another run and Eugenio Suarez added an RBI double to give Cincinnati three straight wins over Miami after losing the opener of the four-game series.
Straily (9-6) improved to 5-0 with a 2.68 ERA over his last six starts. He opened with five shutout innings before giving up Marcell Ozuna's two-run homer in the sixth. Straily allowed six hits and struck out seven.
Blake Wood turned in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief before Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth for his second career save in two opportunities.
Marlins starter Jose Fernandez (12-7) allowed five runs in a season-low four innings — as many runs as he gave up in his four June starts — to see his ERA over his last four starts climb to 6.00. The Reds reached him for seven hits and a walk while sending him to a career-worst third consecutive loss. He previously had never lost more than two consecutive decisions.
Fernandez finished with six strikeouts, pushing him over 200 for the first time in his career. With 204, he is the sixth Marlin to reach 200 in a season and first since Anibal Sanchez with 202 in 2011.
Cabrera gave Cincinnati a 3-0 lead with his first homer of the season in the second inning.
Martin Prado capitalized on an error by pitcher Jumbo Diaz with a two-run single in the seventh.
TRAINING ROOM
Marlins: RHP A.J. Ramos is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Friday. If he feels OK on Saturday, manager Don Mattingly expects to be able to activate him on Sunday. Ramos, 1-1 with a 3.05 ERA and 32 saves in 47 relief appearances this season, has been out since Aug. 6 with a fracture of the third finger of his right hand.
Reds: Problems with his patella and Achilles tendons related to last year's knee surgery are plaguing SS Zack Cozart, who didn't start on Thursday for the third time in the four-game series.
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP Tom Koehler (9-8) tries for his first win in five career starts against the Pirates when Miami opens a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Friday. He is 0-4 with a 5.73 ERA in his career against the Pirates.
Reds: RHP Tim Adleman (1-1) is scheduled to make his first start since May 19 when the Reds open a four-game wraparound series against Los Angeles in Cincinnati. Adleman has been sidelined with a strained left oblique.