MIAMI –– Before they turned the game around for the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, left fielder Jake Fraley and third baseman Spencer Steer both made mistakes that could have been low points of their season.
Steer had a ball go between his legs at first base and fell down while trying to make a routine play. In left field, Fraley tried to start a relay to catch a baserunner at home plate, and his throw sailed high over the heads of the cutoff man and the backup cutoff man.
But they both more than made up for their errors with some of their most impressive hits of the season. Fraley and Steer gave the Reds’ lineup a much-needed boost of power in a 7-4 win over the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Fraley hit two home runs, including the go-ahead three-run shot in the top of the ninth inning. He also tied his career-high with four RBI.
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Immediately after his bad throw, Fraley crushed a solo home run to center field. Marlins rookie Eury Pérez, a top-10 prospect in baseball, was electric in his MLB debut. Fraley jumped on a first pitch fastball in the fifth inning and crushed a 106 mph line drive.
Steer added two doubles as the Reds made a comeback from a two-run deficit. His second double drove in two runs to tie the score in the top of the seventh inning.
Steer has impressed the Reds with his approach and his consistent mentality during his rookie season, but the results have been up and down. He’s in the middle of one of his best weeks of the season, and Steer showed against the Marlins the pop in his bat that made him a borderline top-100 prospect. Steer’s second double was one of the hardest-hit line drives of his career.
As the Reds have played some of the best baseball since 2021 over the last two weeks, they've had several notable moments where they've responded to a bad inning or a bad moment. Friday's win was another game where the Reds' response got them a comeback win.
Takeaways from Reds vs. Marlins
1. Reds starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft followed the worst start of his career with an impressive outing against the Marlins. He allowed three earned runs in 5 ⅔ innings, and he could have pitched seven innings if the Reds had played cleaner defense behind him. Ashcraft adjusted his approach to the strengths of the Marlins’ hitters. He overpowered Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez with high-and-tight cutters, and he buried sliders in the dirt for strikeouts against hitters like Marlins right fielder Peyton Burdick. Only two of the runs, both solo homers, should have been charged to Ashcraft.
2. The Reds’ poor defense was responsible for allowing two runs and kept the Marlins in the game. In addition to Steer and Fraley’s mistakes, Reds right fielder Wil Myers couldn’t find a routine fly ball in right field and allowed a triple. That runner scored on a passed ball by Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson.
3. Marlins 20-year-old starting pitcher Eury Pérez made his MLB debut on Friday, and the No. 10 prospect lived up to his billing. As he struck out seven batters, Pérez threw a 99 mph fastball, devastating sliders and changeups that dropped into the dirt at the last second.
Injury update
Reds outfielder TJ Friedl pulled his oblique on Thursday against the New York Mets, and Reds manager David Bell said that he was hopeful that Friedl would avoid a stint on the injured list.
“Hopefully by the end of the weekend he’ll be available and then be able to start games at the beginning of next week,” Bell said. “With the area it’s in, we have to be a bit extra cautious to make sure it’s not one of those oblique injuries that could turn into a longer injury.”
Stat of the day
According to ESPN Stats and Info, Pérez was the youngest player with seven-plus strikeouts in his MLB debut since David Clyde had eight strikeouts for the Texas Rangers in 1973.
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