Reds Cruise With A Big First Inning To Filet Marlins

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The Reds started strong against Miami Marlins' starter, Wei-Yin Chen and held on to a 4-1 win.

Jose Peraza led off the game with a double in Jim Riggleman's new lineup.  Alex Blandino walked.  Chen caught Joey Votto looking for strike three.  Eugenio Suarez the new cleanup hitter hit his fourth home run of the season.  Adam Duvall hit his fifth home run off the new Reds' bullpen in rightfield.

Suarez had never faced Chen before.

"I hit a slider down and in a little bit," Suarez said.  "I was thinking about getting the guy in from third base. I tried to put a good swing on it.  I'd never faced him and I feel like I'm lucky to hit that off him."

Sal Romano was the beneficiary as the Reds' starting pitcher.

Romano, who had allowed three earned runs in 10 2/3 innings over his last two starts, Walked two and gave up a hit in his first six batters faced.  He dodged a two-out first inning walk.  Brian Anderson singled and Martin Prado walked to start the second inning but Miguel Rojas hit into a double play to extricate Romano from the inning.

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Romano retired nine batters in a row, including Chen who hit a bouncer back through the mound that Romano reached back to field with his bare hand.  Lewis Brinson hit his third home run of the season to break the streak with a high lazy fly that caught a breeze and carried to the green in centerfield.

"My fastball was too low early but by the second inning, I was in a good groove," Romano said.  "My hand is fine.  I'm probably going to have to stop doing that. (Romano made the same barehanded play against the Braves).  This was a little bit harder."

The Reds threatened Chen but failed to add to the lead.

"We played a pretty good ballgame in my opinion," Reds' interim manager Jim Riggleman said.

Billy Hamilton walked and Peraza singled to start the second inning.  Blandino hit into a double play. The Reds loaded the bases in the third with two outs.  Romano grounded out.

"I was really concerned.  In the second and third inning, we kind of let them off the hook a little bit," Riggleman said unintentionally using a fishing metaphor.  "It wouldn't have felt good to build a four-run lead and lose it."

Chen finished with four innings, allowing just the four, first inning runs on five hits and four walks.

Merandy Gonzalez pitched out of a jam in the fifth that he created by walking Suarez and Scott Schebler.

Romano exited in the sixth after he hit Derek Dietrich with a pitch to start the inning.  J.T Realmuto singled off Suarez' glove at third putting runners on the corners with no outs.  Starlin Castro lined out to shallow left and Dietrich held third.  Wandy Peralta replaced Romano and walked Justin Bour.   David Hernandez replaced Peralta.  Anderson lined out to left.  Again there was no advancement by Dietrich.  Prado flied out to left to end the threat.

"Sal struggled there in the first two innings, walking some guys," Riggleman said.  "He was a little too low, no one was biting on it. Then he got Rojas to ground into a double play to end the inning to get out of trouble."

Romano pitched 5 1/3 allowing one run on three hits and two walks.

Jared Hughes pitched two scoreless innings, inducing the Reds'second double play of the game.

Raisell Iglesias, who hasn't pitched in a week, picked up his fourth save in five tries.

"Sal Romano had a really good start today," Suarez said.  "The bullpen did a good job.  When you score four runs in the first inning, everybody feels comfortable.  We played good defense, turning some double plays.  When we put it all together, defense, offense pitching, we can win a lot of games."