TJ Friedl hit a home run and drove in three runs, Elly De La Cruz had three hits and stole his major league-leading 59th base, and Jeimer Candelario got a two-run single during a seven-run 10th inning as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Miami Marlins10-4 on Thursday night.
Tyler Stephenson walked with the bases loaded to break a 3-3 tie in the 10th inning. Then, Friedl was hit on the right kneecap by a pitch from Marlins reliever Emmanuel Ramirez (0-1), who faced six batters without getting anyone out. Spencer Steer’s single made it 6-3 before Candelario’s hit ended Ramirez’s time on the mound.
Steer scored due to a fielding error by Marlins center fielder Derek Hill, and Candelario came home on Stuart Fairchild’s sacrifice fly.
“We didn’t want to leave any room for doubt. Everyone had good at bats in the 10th,” Friedl said. “We just kept things rolling up and down the order. Took care of business like we had to.”
Buck Farmer (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief as the Reds won three out of four games in the series.
De La Cruz finished 11 for 19 in the four games, and Cincinnati outscored Miami 32-15.
“Tonight felt like an important win — they all are,” Reds manager David Bell said. “We’ve got a long way to go. We know where we are but we know what we’re capable of.”
Plate umpire Bill Miller ejected Bell for arguing balls and strikes in the seventh inning. This was Bell’s 31st career ejection, surpassing Sparky Anderson for the most in club history.
“I appreciate you asking but I usually choose not to talk about that,” Bell said of the ejection. “It’s better to leave that stuff on the field.”
The Marlins ended a stretch of 24 scoreless innings by Reds starter Hunter Greene with a three-run fourth inning to tie the game at 3. Hill put Miami on the board with a fielder’s choice RBI, and Vidal Bruján and Jhonny Pereda followed with run-scoring singles.
“I thought we came back against a tough pitcher and the bullpen was excellent through nine innings,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said.
