Marlin Maniac
FanSided

Miami Marlins Rely on Bour Power and KKKKKKKaleb Smith in Victory

By Kevin Kraczkowski

CINCINNATI, OH - MAY 5: Starlin Castro #13 of the Miami Marlins jogs to home plate after hitting a two run home run off of Tyler Mahle #30 of the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Great American Ball Park on May 5, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - MAY 5: Starlin Castro #13 of the Miami Marlins jogs to home plate after hitting a two run home run off of Tyler Mahle #30 of the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Great American Ball Park on May 5, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Game two of the Miami Marlins three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds was claimed by the Fish with power hitting and power pitching.

Caleb Smith pitched neat and clean for 5 2/3 innings, earning a 73 GameScore with seven strikeouts. He allowed no runs on three hits and a walk. Smith has now allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out 26 in his last 18 2/3 innings. That’s a three-game opposing slashline split of .125/.155/.143 for those of you counting. The stretch has lowered his ERA from 6.89 to 3.67 and his WHIP from 1.979 down to 1.165. He also has 48 K’s over 34 1/3 innings for the season, that’s 12.58 K’s per nine innings.

Miami’s preferred closeout trio of Drew Steckenrider, Kyle Barraclough, and Brad Ziegler preserved the shutout. They collected a total of 10 outs while allowing one hit (Ziegler) and one walk (Barraclough), striking out a batter each.

At the Plate

Offensively, Starlin Castro finally collected his 100th career home run with a first-inning, one-out, two-run homer to center field. It was his first moonshot of the season and his first for the Miami Marlins. He’s now tied for 160th in the category, in a 35-way tie with Marlins legends such as Henderson Alvarez and Jason Grilli. The 2-0 lead would be enough for the Marlins against the Small Red Machine.

But Miami kept scoring anyway. With two outs in the sixth, Justin Bour lined a 3-2 pitch over the fence in center field for his sixth of the season. The solo shot gives Bour 70 for his career, moving him out of a tie with Mike Jacobs and into sole possession of 15th on the all-time list.

The eighth inning would prove especially fruitful for Miami’s offensive numbers. J.B. Shuck opened the inning by hitting an easy grounder right to Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett. Fortunately for the Marlins, Reds first baseman Joey Votto was also going for the ball and did not cover first.

More from Marlins News

Reds relief pitcher Austin Brice (formerly of the Marlins) then hit J.T. Realmuto with a 1-0 pitch to put two runners on base. Castro then rapped a line drive into left field, scoring Shuck for a 4-0 Marlins lead. With two outs, Brian Anderson scored Realmuto and Castro on a single.

Anderson (18), Bour (15), and Castro (13) lead the Marlins in RBI, and were the three instigators again on Saturday.

Tomorrow at 4:10PM, Dan Straily will make his second post-rehab start in the series finale against the Reds. The two teams will be fighting for pride as they split the first two of the set. Brandon Finnegan (0-2, 7.27) will start for Cincinnati.

Next: Cincinnati Reds Preview

Thanks for reading this recap report. Check back later for our Farm Report, in the morning for a piece on Lewis Brinson, and later tomorrow for a series recap. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Home/Marlins News