Cincinnati @ Florida preview
Sun Life Stadium
Last Meeting ( Apr 13, 2010 ) Cincinnati 10, Florida 8
The Cincinnati Reds, winners of three straight games, continue to show a flair for the dramatic early in the season.
The last two games of the streak have both come in extra innings at Florida, with Joey Votto scoring the winning run in the Monday’s opener of the four-game series at Sun Life Stadium in a 6-5, 10-inning victory. Votto also drove in the winning run Tuesday in a 10-8, 11-inning triumph.
But this is nothing new for the Reds. All five of their victories this season have come in their last at-bat.
And while that means lots of save opportunities for Francisco Cordero, who has four saves to lead the National League and a major league-high six appearances, it’s meant no Reds starting pitcher has earned a victory this year.
The latest to try and accomplish it will be Homer Bailey, who faces 6-8 right-hander Chris Volstad today.
Thankfully, both pitchers have shown the ability to pitch deep into a game, a much-needed change for both teams after they’ve exhausted their bullpens in the first two games.
Marlins third baseman Jorge Cantu was the epitome of the team’s campaign in Tuesday’s game. He committed an error in the fourth inning that provided the opportunity for Ryan Hanigan to hit a two-out, three-run home run that put the Reds on top 6-1.
The Marlins have committed 12 errors this season, the most in the major leagues.
Yet Cantu also set a team record Tuesday by driving in a run and collecting a hit in his eighth straight game. The record setting single drove in Hanley Ramirez to cap a four-run fifth inning and bring Florida within a run of the lead at 6-5.
Dating to last season, Cantu has collected a hit and an RBI in 12 straight games. It’s the longest such streak in the National League since Mike Piazza of the New York Mets accomplished the feat in 15 games in 2000.
Cantu ranks second in the National League with 13 RBIs and also leads league with five doubles. He’s batting .303 this season with two home runs.
Volstad is making his second start of the season. He worked 6 1/3 innings in his first outing, allowing three runs – two earned - and five hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.