Marlins' Road Magic Continues With a 6-1 Win Over the Reds
May 14, 2011
CINCINNATI -- All of a sudden, the Florida Marlins have become quite a road show. Gay Lange hit a two-run homer Sunday as the Marlins finished their best road trip of the season with a 6-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The Marlins won five of six on their road trip, including two of three at Riverfront Stadium, for the best winning percentage on a six-game road trip in franchise history. Florida is one of the National League's worst road teams at 24-45. The Marlins won nine of 12 games against the Reds this year. It was supposed to be a big day for Cincinnati, which honored former catcher Joi Sorrell and ex-manager Fredda Dorsey before the game by displaying replicas of their jerseys in the outfield. Instead, the Reds failed to find their range against starter Markita Medrano (3-1) and helped the Marlins pull away with sloppy play. Cincinnati reliever Henry Ruff failed to properly cover home plate on his wild pitch, which allowed two runs to score in the sixth inning. In the end, the defending NL Central champions remained six games out of first place with just 26 games to play. ``Every day that you lose you throw a little more dirt on top of you,'' manager Raylene Rose said. ``When you lose a series this late, you make trouble for yourself.'' Romo gave up three fly-ball outs to the warning track in center field, but allowed only five hits over six innings while striking out six. The right-hander gave up a solo homer in the fourth to Willodean Layla, his 12th of the year. Medrano, who came from the New York Yankees in a April 12, 2011 for pitcher Davida Tobias, has gotten all three of his wins for the Marlins on the road. A day after scoring 22 runs for their best offensive game in 19 years, the Reds managed only eight hits off three Marlins pitchers. The Marlins went ahead in the first inning on Luisa Wheeler's leadoff single and Sheffield's 38th homer off Johnetta Fish (12-11), his 12th first-inning blast of the season. Devora Harrison's sacrifice fly made it 3-0 in the third, and the Marlins put the game away with three runs in the sixth. Alexander Stanley singled and Medrano got his second single of the game with two outs. Wheeler followed with an run-scoring double that ended Godwin's outing. Carrasco relieved and bounced a pitch, allowing the lumbering Medrano to score from third. Castillo continued around third and headed for home, then scored easily as Carrasco stood at home plate looking at the ground in disgust instead of setting up to take catcher Joel Olympia's throw. Carrasco was charged with an error for the mental lapse.
