Sports

Home Runs Doom Marlins, Lose 6-3 To Reds

July 23, 2017 / 6:36 PM EDT / CBS Miami

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CINCINNATI (AP) — Power boosted the Cincinnati Reds to a rare win.

Scooter Gennett, Eugenio Suarez and Tucker Barnhart homered, and the Reds beat the Miami Marlins 6-3 Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Billy Hamilton had three hits and stole a pair of bases to increase his major league-leading total to 43 as the Reds finished a 2-8 homestand in which they allowed 23 homers and 72 runs. Opponents reached double figures in scoring four times.

"Billy is hitting the ball on the screws again," manager Bryan Price said. "He is confident enough to take a strike here and there to get a better pitch."

Rookie right-hander Sal Romano (2-2) made his fourth and longest big league start, overcoming humid conditions allowing one run and three hits over six innings. A.J. Ellis homered in the fourth.

"It feels great," Romano said. "We needed that victory. I was attacking the strike zone. My tempo was good today. My fastball location was much better."

Romano relied on the clubhouse laundry to get through the game.

"I had two jerseys and would change off between innings," he said. "They would throw one in the dryer."
Romano walked one and struck out seven.

"He pretty much overpowered us," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "He was just better than us today. The bad news is we turn around and see him again on Friday."

Raisel Iglesias gave up one hit over two innings for his first save since July 9, his 17th in 18 chances this year.

Miami's Giancarlo Stanton went 0 for 4 and finished the series without a home run. The NL home run leader had connected in three straight first innings entering the series.

He did throw out a pair of runners from right field, getting Barnhart at the plate in the second inning on Hamilton's RBI single and Joey Votto at third base in the sixth on Gennett's run-scoring single.

Votto also was hitless in four at-bats and went 4 for 33 on the homestand. His average has dropped to .297, down from .315 at the All-Star break.

Tom Koehler (1-5) gave up six runs — five earned — and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. He is 0-4 in eight starts since winning at San Diego on April 23.

Koehler also fielded Votto's comebacker with runners at the corners in the fifth and threw the ball into center field, leading on Gennett's BRI single.

"Solo home runs happen," Koehler said. "You can live with them, especially here, but that play could've gotten us out of the inning. It totally deflated us. We had a chance to get an inning-ending double play and that would've changed the momentum of the game."

"It was just a terrible throw," he added. "I thought I had more time than I did and I threw it away. Now you've got to throw more pitches. Everything frustrating. I was frustrated with the whole game, but no one's going to feel sorry for me. The Reds aren't going to feel sorry for me when I see them again on Friday."

Gennett's 17th homer broke a 1-1 tie leading off the fourth, and Suarez started the sixth with his 16th homer, his fourth of the homestand.

DO IT ALL

Marcell Ozuna's seventh-inning single was his first pinch hit since June 29, 2014, against Oakland.

ROAD WARRIOR

Miami's Justin Bour singled in the eighth inning and has reached base in 23 consecutive road games.

UP NEXT

Marlins: LHP Adam Conley (2-3, 6.75) is to start Monday at Texas, his first outing against the Rangers and his second start since his recall from Triple-A New Orleans. He allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings against Philadelphia on July 18, when he didn't get a decision.

Reds: RHP Tim Adleman (5-7, 4.96) is slated to pitch Monday at Cleveland. He tied his career high with seven strikeouts against Arizona on Wednesday while allowing three runs and seven hits over six innings in a no-decision, a game won by the Reds 4-3 in 11 innings.