For the Miami Marlins in their 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds at LoanDepot Park in Miami, a five-fold breakout in the first inning was more than enough.
| final | R. | H | E. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (71-60) | 1 | 8th | 1 |
| Miami Marlins (54-76) |
6th | 12th | 0 |
| F: Alcantara (8-12) V: Gutiérrez (9-5) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game thread | |||
Before the start at 6:10 ET, it was clear that the Reds would have to stick together against the Marlins as the home team’s starting pitcher was one of the best young right-handers in the game, Sandy Alcantara. That goal was all but crushed in the lower portion of the first inning when the home team scored five runs to lead by that amount after the first frame.
By the result of the Milwaukee Brewers game in Minnesota, Cincinnati fell to eight games from first place. That game was tied in the sixth inning when this post went live.
The Reds’ lead over San Diego for second wild card place in the National League dwindled to 1 1/2 games until the result of the Padres game in Anaheim, which was just beginning at the time of this post, was canceled.
The offensive
Tyler Naquin extended his hitting streak to 17 games with an RBI double in the third inning. Before the game, his August statistics were a feast for the eyes: .419 / .488 / .797 / 1.285.
Red’s bats were largely outdone by Alcantara’s light-out stuff. For the second year in a row, Alcantara dominated Cincinnati, beating 12 thugs after 11 last weekend tonight. The Reds left the bases on the third and two men on the fourth, and that was the extent of their chances against Alcantara.
There are outstanding pitchers out there who can beat anyone, and Alcantara falls into that category. Even in the days of the Big Red Machine, when the Reds consistently beat bad teams, they were mostly closed when they went up against Randy Jones of the Padres. To be honest, that game was essentially over after the first inning.
If you want to dream a little, Alcantara has a similar structure to Hunter Greene, as well as the bulging fastball. Greene will have to develop secondary playing fields that he can throw consistently to make Alcantara’s effectiveness, but it’s fun to think about.
Tucker Barnhart, Nick Castellanos and Max Schrock each had two hits. Note to all who want to listen: As long as Jesse Winker cannot be reached, we see Schrock in the left field against right-handers. The guy can absolutely hit.
The pitching
Vladimir Gutierrez just didn’t have it tonight. Maybe he was too inflated to pitch in the majors for the first time in front of his friends and family. In the post-game interview, he said that maybe the fact that Miami has a sizeable Cuban population went a little to his head.
He was not helped by a few misses by third base player Mike Moustakas, who later left the game with a tightness in his right hip. But the first eight marlins reached, with the only outing being Jesus Aguilera, who attempted to advance from first to third place with a run-scoring single from Jorge Alfaro. Gutierrez recovered to hit a scoreless ball in the second and third innings, but the damage was done.
Tony Santillan threw a goalless fourth and fifth place and worked his way out of a base-filled one-out jam in the final inning. Amir Garrett kept fighting, allowing two doubles and a run in sixth. Luis Cessa did a one-two-three seventh, and Justin Wilson doubled that feat in the eighth.
Next up for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds at the Miami Marlins
Sunday, Aug 29, 1:10 p.m. ET
Tyler Mahle (10-4, 3.69 ERA) vs. Jesus Luzardo (4-7, 7.91 ERA)
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