Wade Miley powers Reds past Marlins

There’s nothing like a series against the 53-75 Miami Marlins to help turn things around after a tough series, and tonight the Reds got great performances from quite a few guys to do exactly that. Wade Miley, who continues to have an great season, had another stellar outing, shutting out the Marlins over 7 innings while walking 1 and striking out 5. He also helped himself out with a RBI double, to boot.

Tyler Naquin was another one of those players who had a great night. He got things started with 1 out in the top of the first, smacking a solo dinger to right center to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. That also extended his 16-game hitting streak, which is awesome. That was only 1 of his 3 hits on the night, which included a single and a double.

The top of the 4th was even better for the Reds, who blew things open in the inning. Joey Votto led off with a double and scored a batter later when Mike Moustakas hit a double of his own. After a couple of ground outs and an intentional walk, Wade Miley added to the lead with a double to left. The Reds would add another run on a fielding to go up 5-0.

Speaking of good performances, Mike Moustakas added to his 4th inning double with a solo blast in the top of the 8th to cement the 6-0 lead. He certainly seems to be swinging the bat better over the last few days. Hopefully that continues as the Reds continue to make their playoff push. Anyway, the Reds came into tonight up 2 games on the Padres and 4.5 on the Cardinals and can’t go into Saturday any worse than that. While the Milwaukee series was disappointing, these are the games they need to take advantage of to give themselves some cushion in this playoff race.

Tony Graphanino

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Wade Miley was already having one of the best seasons of his career going into tonight. A 7-inning shutout against anybody is a great performance and just adds to his excellence for the Reds in 2021. He shut the Marlins out over 7 innings, giving up 6 hits an a walk with 5 strikeouts and hitting a RBI double.

Honorable mentions are due to: Mike Moustakas, who went 2 for 4 with a double, a dinger, and 2 RBI; Tyler Naquin, who extended his hitting streak with a 3 for 4 night, hitting a single, a double, and a solo blast; and Jeff Hoffman, who threw 2 shutout innings to nail down the victory.

Other Notes

• Vladimir Gutierrez will look to continue his fantastic rookie season in game 2 on Saturday. He faces off against Sandy Alcantara, who comes into the game having a solid season of his own. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 PM ET.
• Tunes.