Alonso mourning returns to Miami. Reds win 8-6.

Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Yonder Alonso. Spelling Joey Votto at 1B, The Trade-marked Kid had the best game of his young MLB career, going 3-4 with a HR, 4 RBI and a Miami Vice-gaudy .679 WPA. Honorable mention goes to Dave Sappelt, 3-5 with a game-breaking double.

Key Plays

• Yonder hit his second homer of the season in the second inning to put the Reds ahead 1-0. 
• Brandon Phillips stood at third and Miguel Cairo at first when Yonder Alonso brought in another run with a 2 out single.
• Johnny Cueto had stranded six runners to keep his ERA in free fall for the first four innings. But his lack of control throwing to any base caught up with him in the 5th. Emilio Bonifacio reached third after a throwing error on a pick-off attempt at first. After former Reds reliever and retired baseball player Mike Stanton walked, Greg Dobbs brought in Bonifacio with a sac-fly. Omar Infante and Gaby Sanchez drew more blood with a run-scoring single and run-scoring double, respectively. The Marlins pulled ahead 3-2.
• The Reds failed to score with the bases loaded and no outs in the Top of the Sixth. It was starting to look like a 2011 Special.
• Cueto had thrown 104 pitches, only 59 of them strikes, and was replaced by Sam LeCure in the sixth. One mistake pitch - a two-run HR by Emilio Bonifacio - in an otherwise decent frame put the Fish up 5-2.
• The game started to take on the character of Sunday's matinee in Pittsburgh when the Reds stormed back in the top of the seventh. Jay Bruce's also HR brought in Dave Sappelt and them accursed conditions - 1 run deficit, 7th inning or later - cast an ominous pall.
• The Marlins got one back in the bottom of the 8th with Nick Masset pitching his second inning. Bonifacio's sac-fly brought in John Buck.
• Marlins closer Leo Nunez hadn't counted on the fact that this was actually a special remote episode of Saved by the Bell: The New Class: Cincinnati: Miami. It's not a lost season for the Reds' wiseacre young turks. Joey Votto pinch hit in the pitcher's spot, which - like Ramon's 9th inning PH for Janish on Sunday - proved to be a prudent move.  After Joey clutch-walked, Phillips singled and Dave Sappelt brought both in with a double to tie the score at 6. After an intentional walk to Bruce and Cairo K, Yonder batted in Bruce and Sappelt on a double that grazed Mike Cameron.
• Cordero pitched a clean inning this time. Reds win 8-6!

via www.fangraphs.com

Other Notes

• Johnny Cueto issued 6 walks, the most he's allowed this season, though not his single-game high, which was 8 (2008)?!
• Yonder Alonso only has 34 PAs this season, but they've been pretty convincing. I didn't re-calculate it, but tonight's game definitely pushed his OPS over 1.100.
• The Reds entered the game with a .176/.255/.294 line with the bases loaded and added to that a 0-3 showing.
• The Marlins and Reds both stranded 8 runners.