Rookie Rece Hinds hit his first-ever grand slam, while Jonathan India and Jeimer Candelario each added solo home runs in the first inning as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Miami Marlins 7-4 on Friday night.
Reds pitcher Carson Spiers started strong by striking out eight of the first 10 Marlins batters he faced, ending the game with a career-high nine strikeouts. He allowed three runs and six hits over five innings in the first game of the series before the All-Star break.
The Reds capitalized early against Marlins starter Yonny Chirinos, scoring runs in the first three innings. India hit a home run to center field, his first lead-off homer since May 7, 2023, while Candelario’s homer went to right field, marking his 15th of the season.
In the second inning, Will Benson hit an RBI double with two outs. In the third inning, Hinds smashed a grand slam into the seats in center field, marking his third home run in his first five games in the major leagues. Earlier in the week, he set a record with five extra-base hits in his first two games.
“I got a good pitch with runners on base,” Hinds, 23, said about his home run. “I was prepared for a fastball and took advantage of it.”
Chirinos struggled, allowing seven runs and eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out one batter and walked four.
“There were a lot of pitches in the middle of the strike zone, and not many swings and misses,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker commented. “When you’re not missing bats, you need excellent command or induce ground balls, and unfortunately, he didn’t have either tonight.”
The Marlins managed to score three runs in the fourth inning with Jesús Sánchez hitting a three-run homer off Spiers. Vidal Bruján added his first career RBI with a two-out single in the ninth inning off Alexis Diaz.
