CINCINNATI (AP) — Josh Bell homered twice and drove in four runs, Bryan De La Cruz hit the go-ahead shot in the ninth and the Miami Marlins rallied late for a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
Trailing 4-1, Bell hit a game-tying three-run home run in the eighth inning before De La Cruz led off the ninth by going the opposite way to right field against Alexis Diaz (3-4). Bell gave the Marlins a 1-0 lead with a second-inning solo shot.
Graham Ashcraft pitched seven impressive innings, Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered and drove in three runs for the Reds, who have lost eight of their past nine games.
Spencer Steer also homered and Joey Votto had three hits for the Reds.
Tanner Scott (6-4) pitched the eighth for the win. David Robertson allowed a hit before striking out Elly De La Cruz for his 17th save in 21 tries and third for the Marlins since being acquired in a trade with the New York Mets.
Ashcraft extended his recent run of effective outings, allowing one run and three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts over seven innings.
Former Red Johnny Cueto lasted five innings, giving up five hits and three runs with one walk and five strikeouts. Cueto went 92-63 with a 3.21 ERA in eight seasons in Cincinnati from 2008-15.
Bell went opposite field with a 353-foot drive into the left field seats down the line for a 1-0 Miami lead in the fourth inning.
Steer tied it in the bottom of the inning with a two-out, 402-foot blast that caromed of the façade of the second deck in left field. After Votto reached on an infield single, Encarnacion-Strand gave the Reds a 3-1 lead with 390-foot shot into the lower level in left field.
Encarnacion-Strand added an RBI single in the sixth before the Marlins rallied.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: RHP Tommy Nance (right shoulder sprain) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Pensacola on Tuesday.
Reds: RHP Tejay Antone (right elbow surgery) threw 28 pitches over 1 1/3 innings in the fifth appearance of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday at St. Paul.
UP NEXT
Marlins: LHP Jesús Luzardo (8-6) is Florida’s scheduled starter against the Yankees in the opener of a six-game homestand on Friday.
Reds: LHP Andrew Abbott (6-3) is Cincinnati’s scheduled starter at Pittsburgh on Friday in the opener of a brief three-game road trip.
