Field Level Media
May 5, 2018
Caleb Smith pitched 5 2/3 innings of scoreless ball as the Miami Marlins defeated the host Cincinnati Reds 6-0 on Saturday night at the Great American Ball Park.
Starlin Castro and Justin Bour hit home runs to lead Miami's offense. Castro's blast was his 100th career home run, and he finished the night with three RBIs.
Castro's first career homer was also at Great American Ball Park. It came on May 7, 2010, when he was a member of the Chicago Cubs.
Smith (2-3) allowed just three hits and one walk, striking out seven and dropping his ERA to 3.67. In his past three starts, Smith has struck out 26 batters and walked just two, allowing two runs in 18 2/3 innings.
Miami relievers Drew Steckenrider, Kyle Barraclough and Brad Ziegler completed the shutout.
Cincinnati right-hander Tyler Mahle (2-4) took the loss despite pitching a quality start. He allowed five hits, no walks and three runs in six innings, striking out four.
Mahle got into trouble almost immediately. He gave up a one-out single to Martin Prado in the first inning, followed by Castro's homer to left-center on a high, 86-mph slider. It was Castro's first homer of the season and his first as a member of the Marlins.
Castro had been stuck on 99 homers for 145 at-bats, dating to last Sept. 27, when he was a member of the New York Yankees. When he finally got to 100, his Marlins teammates playfully gave him the silent treatment in the dugout.
Bour took Mahle deep in the sixth, hitting a 96-mph fastball to center. It was Bour's sixth homer this season and his second in the past four games.
All the runs in this weekend series had been scored on home runs until the Marlins pieced together a three-run eighth inning.
Pinch hitter JB Shuck singled, advanced to second when JT Realmuto was hit by a pitch and scored on Castro's double to left. Rookie Brian Anderson capped the rally with a two-run, opposite-field single to right.
--Field Level Media