Reds Catch Marlins In A Sweep

For the third straight day the Reds took advantage of the Miami Marlins with a 5-0 win.

Sonny Gray pitched four scoreless innings but left the game when a line drive he took as a direct hit of the bat of former Reds' farmhand, Miguel Rojas, leading off the second inning.   Gray took some warm up tosses and remained in the game.  When Lewis Brinson struck out for the fifth straight time in the series, Rojas apparently stole second base.  Curt Casali's throw died near the pitcher's mound.  Home plate umpire Greg Gibson, ruled that Brinson interfered with Casali's throw.  Rojas was called out.

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"The key to the game was Sonny staying in the game two more innings," Gray said.  "If he's not able to do that it would have made it tough.  He wanted to stay in the game but going as long as he did really set the bullpen up.  Clearly he took a hard shot.  He was limping around a little bit.  Those things have a tendency to tighten up.  The decision was to protect him.  We wanted to make sure he didn't compensate and hurt something else."

Gray is confident that he can pitch in his next start which will be Wednesday in Los Angeles but they have an off day before the games in Mexico against the Cardinals on Saturday.   Tyler Mahle could come back with his normal rest.

"It was a great series for us.  I'll be fine.  I'll be alright.  I would have liked to continue to go out but that wasn't the case," Gray said.  "Our guys came in and shut them down, like they've been doing. It's not a great feeling but it hit me in a good spot."

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The cerebral Pablo Lopez, who started for the Marlins, was pitch for pitch with Gray.  Lopez is 23-years old and signed as a non drafted free agent by the Seattle Mariners as a 16-year old out of Cabimas, Venezuela.  He had already been accepted to medical school but chose a baseball career.  He speaks four languages.

The Reds strung three hits together to get on the scoreboard in the fourth.  Jesse Winker and Joey Votto singled to start the inning.  Eugenio Suarez hit an RBI single.

Gray left after four innings with a right calf contusion after it stiffened up on him.   Bob Stephenson pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

The Reds added on to chase Lopez from the game in the fifth.  Casali singled and advanced to second on Jose Iglesias fly out to deep center field.  Pinch hitter Derek Dietrich struck out but Winker walked.  Votto foiled the shift for a second straight time with a single to left that scored Casali.  Yasiel Puig followed with a two-run double that prompted Marlins' manager Don Mattingly to make the pitching change.

Puig finished serving a two-game suspension for his role in the on-field brawl in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

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"I was excited for myself too," Puig said.  "Coming back today after my team winning two games without me, they might say they don't want me to come back.  Maybe my team is better with myself out.  They score 14 runs, a lot of homers, last night they win 2-1, I was a little worried about myself back in the lineup.  I needed to hit something.  We lose to today and I say I need to talk to my manager about sitting me out.  But we win today, I hit a double with two RBI, I feel good."

Zach Duke pitched a scoreless inning.  David Hernandez shut out Miami for two innings.

Suarez hit his third home run against Sergio Romo in the eighth inning to give the Reds a 5-0 lead.

Wandy Peralta pitched the ninth inning with Michael Lorenzen moving into center field for defense. Peralta walked Brian Anderson but Iglesias and Peraza turned a double play one strikeout short of a pizza.

The Reds are off to play games on Saturday and Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals in Monterrey, Mexico.  It will be counted as home games for the Reds or Los Rojos.

"This will be fun," Bell said.  "I think we will look back and be glad we had the experience.  I am all for taking our game to other parts of the world.  I really don't know what to expect.  I think its great."

The Reds were permitted to add a position player to their roster.  It would be too hard to play a man short if there was an injury while in Mexico.

The Reds named Phillip Ervin, who had a great spring.

"We chose him based on the spring he had and what he's done for the team in the past," Bell said.