The Cincinnati Reds offense went wild on the Marlins pitching on Monday night with the biggest blow being Jonathan India’s grand slam into the bleachers as they routed Miami 11-2 to begin the series behind a 9-strikeout 6-inning performance from Nick Lodolo.
The Offense
Jonathan India led off the 1st inning with a double on the first pitch that he saw, but he’d be stranded on the bases. The Reds threatened again in the 2nd when Kyle Farmer led off with a walk and Donovan Solano singled to begin the inning, but they would also be stranded on the bases.
The 3rd inning finally saw things start going the Reds way. Jonathan India, Tommy Pham, and Kyle Farmer all singled and that tied the game up at 1-1. Donovan Solano followed up with a 2-run double to put Cincinnati up 3-1 but he was thrown out at third base to end the inning. The next inning Brandon Drury added to the lead with a 3-run homer – his 19th of the season – to make it a 6-2 game.
If the Marlins had any ideas that they were still in the game in the 5th inning that all disappeared after Zach Pop loaded the bases before Jonathan India unloaded them with his first career grand slam. The reigning rookie of the year hit the ball 409 feet into the upper deck in left field and made it a 10-2 ballgame. Cincinnati would add one more run in the 6th inning on a Matt Reynolds single that plated Kyle Farmer.
The Pitching
Miami got on top in the 1st inning when Nick Fortes singled, stole second, and moved to third on an error by Donovan Solano on the throw to the bag, and Fortes then scored on a single up the middle by Avisail Garcia.
In the 3rd inning Nick Lodolo ran into trouble again. After back-to-back singles to start the inning he walked the next batter to load the bases. A mound visit followed and it seemed to straighten things out for the lefty who struck out Jesus Aguilar on three pitches and then got a double play on the first pitch to Avisail Garcia to end the inning.
Cincinnati scored three runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning to take the lead. Miami got one of those runs back after JJ Bleday led off the inning with a double then moved up to third when a pickoff throw from the catcher went into center, and he scored on a wild pitch. That would be the final time they would score off of Lodolo, and both of the runs against him went down as unearned. The lefty finished with nine strikeouts on the night in his 6.0 innings.
Joel Kuhnel threw a shutout 7th and 8th inning to hold what was an 11-2 lead. Dauri Moreta took over for the 9th and he did the same thing to seal the win for the Reds.
Notes Worth Noting
Jonathan India fell a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-4 with a walk, single, double, and a home run.
Donovan Solano continues to pick up hits and is now hitting .329 since coming off of the injured list.
Nick Lodolo set a new career high with nine strikeouts – topping the eight that he’s had twice this season.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Miami Marlins vs Cincinnati Reds
Tuesday July 26th, 6:40pm ET
Pablo Lopez (6-5, 3.14 ERA) vs Hunter Greene (3-11, 5.78 ERA)
