*Photo from the Red Reporter*
Just recently getting the 2,000th hit of his career, Joey Votto decided to stay red hot. It sure helped out. Votto homered, Jonathan India hit an RBI double, and the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Miami Marlins 6-1 on Thursday.
India said "Joey Votto, every night, he does something cool. At this point it’s like, ‘oh there’s Joey again doing something, hitting a home run, hitting a double or making a nice play.’ It’s so fun to watch. He’s been our leader this whole year for us. When Joey goes, we go. It’s been awesome."
With the slumping San Diego Padres having the day off on Thursday and the Reds having been on a tear as of late, they have surged right back into playoff contention. As a result, they enter play on Friday one game out of the second wild card spot, and the right to play either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Francisco Giants in the NL wild card game.
First, it was the Marlins who struck first, with Jorge Alfaro hitting a single to center field, scoring Jesus Sanchez and giving Miami a 1-0 lead in the top of the 4th inning. In the bottom of the 4th, the Reds offense ignited. First, it was Votto, mashing a 3 run home run to center field, putting Cincinnati ahead 3-1. An RBI double from Kyle Farmer then made it 4-1. In the 7th, an RBI double by India and an RBI single by Nick Castellanos put the Reds ahead 6-1, sealing the win.
Luis Castillo had an excellent outing for the Reds, getting the win to get his record up to 7-12 on the season. Castillo allowed just one run on 8 hits and one walk, fanning 7 hitters in 7 innings pitched. Michael Lorenzen followed out of the bullpen with a shutout 8th inning, and Tony Santillan did the same in the 9th.
Castillo said of his start that "I felt spectacular today, commanding the zone and commanding all my pitches as well. I felt pretty good once I saw Joey hit the home run. It felt nice to have that lead right there. I was proud of how the offense worked today and how the defense worked behind me, too."
It was Nick Neidert who took the loss for Miami in his start, dropping to a 1-2 record this season. Neidert allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, lasting 5 innings in the loss. Bryan Mitchell was responsible for the other two Reds runs in the 7th inning. Ross Detwiler was the only Marlins pitcher to have a scoreless outing, pitching the 6th inning in relief of Neidert.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly said "Neidert was pretty good all night. It seemed like the one pitch to Joey, he tried to go away and Votto pulled it across into the nitrozone. Joey doesn’t leave the zone often. You don’t catch him chasing. He forces you into the strike zone. He uses the whole ballpark. He has always been a good hitter and a tough out."
The Reds and Marlins continue their series tonight, with Sonny Gray starting for the Reds as they try to move into a tie for the second wild card spot, and Elieser Hernandez getting the start for the Marlins as they try to spoil the Reds hopes.
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