And the game could have ended like a scene out of ‘The Natural’ when Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) hit a game-winning home run for the New York Knights with rain falling and lightning flashing.
With rain pelting Grand American Ball Park and lightning visible in the distance in the ninth inning, Tyler Stephenson was on first base with one out, representing the tying run.
And walking to the plate was Cincinnati’s own Roy Hobbs, Rece Hinds, owner of five home runs in his first six major league games.
This time there was no movie-like grand finale. Hinds grounded out to third, moving Stephenson to second.
Because of pinch-hitting and defensive swaps, the Reds lost their designated hitter.
So Miami manager Skip Schumaker made a daring move. He ordered Santiago Espinal intentionally walked, putting the potential winning run on base.
That’s because the next scheduled batter was pitcher Alexis Diaz. forcing Reds manager David Bell to use his final available positiion player, Edwin Rios.
He was no match for Miami’s only All-Star, closer Tanner Scott. He struck out Rios on three pitches, the last one an 89 mph slider that Rios swung and missed.
The defeat, after three straight wins, prevented the Reds from closing in on one game under .500. Instead, they take the All-Star break at 47-50, eight games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
All the action came after the fifth inning.
Reds starter Nick Lodolo took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, which should have boded well for the Reds. The Marlins were 5-28 against left-handed starters.
But Miami’s Trevor Rogers, 1-9 (and Miami was 3-15 for his 18 starts, giving him just two runs a game), took a no-hitter into the sixth.
Rogers, though, walked three Reds in the fourth inning and escaped due to absent-minded base-running by Elly De La Cruz.
India and De La Cruz both walked to open the fourth. For some inexplicable reason, with India on second, De La Cruz broke for second and was tagged out in a rundown.
Home plate umpire Brennan Miller, a blister on Lodolo’s finger and Spencer Steer’s throwing error led to two runs in the Miami fifth.
Lodolo walked Xavier Edwards on a full count. Jesus Sanchez singled, putting runneers on second and first.
On a 1-and-2 pitch to Jonah Bride, Lodolo threw a breaking pitch that hooked right over home plate, an obvious strike.
But umpire Brennan, whose strike zone all day resembled a map of Alaska, called it a ball.
Bride, a .174 hitter, singled to left on the next pitch, scoring Edwards. And when Steer’s throw from left field was wild for an error, Sanchez also scored to give Miami a 2-0 lead.
India ended Rogers’ no-hitter in the sixth with a one-out double to left. De La Cruz made up for his base-running gaffe by depositing Rogers’ first pitch over the right-center wall.
The two-run homer, De La Cruz’s team-leading 17th, tied it, 2-2, and was Cincinnati’s 28th home run in July, with the month just half over.
The Marlins scored the run they needed to end their five-game losing streak after Fernando Cruz struck out the first two hitters in the eighth.
Jake Burger doubled to left. Instead of sticking with his devastating splitter, Cruz threw Edwards a first-pitch fastball and he punched it to left for a run-scoring single and the 3-2 score.
Stephenson opened the Reds seventh with a single when it was still 2-2. Austin Slater was due up, a perfect sacrifice bunt scenario.
Instead, Bell sent up Will Benson to pinch-hit and he struck out looking, his 117th strikeout and he would make it 118 with a runner on first and no outs in the ninth.
After Benson struck out in the seventh, Hinds flied to center. Espinal singled to right, putting runners on second and first.
Bell sent Jake Fraley up to pinch-hit, but when Schumaker brought in A.J. Puk, Bell took down Fraley and sent up Noelvi Marte. He popped out and it stayed 2-2.
Lodolo lasted only 4 2/3 innings and gave up just the two runs in the fifth and only three hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
Once again, as he did during Saturday’s 10-6 win, Bell used his bullpen like playing cards and nearly used the entire deck. For the second straight day he used eight pitchers.
Tony Santillan, Nick Martinez, Sam Moll and Justin Wilson kept things quiet. Cruz gave up the winning run in the eighth and Diaz gave up a pair of hits in the ninth, but neither scored.
After collecting 11 and 15 hits and losing the first two games of the series, the Marlins had eight hits Sunday and won.
The Reds collected 11 hits and 10 hits in the two wins, but only four Sunday.
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