Prado produces at plate, but glove saves day

CINCINNATI -- Marlins third baseman Martín Prado is more than a leader by example. The 32-year-old also continues to deliver, at the plate and in the field.
Prado came up big Monday night in Miami's 6-3 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park, which moved the Marlins into a tie with the Cardinals for the second National League Wild Card. He had three hits and an RBI, plus he turned in the defensive play of the night, robbing Tony Renda of extra bases with a diving stop.
Prado's gem came when the Reds were threatening off Kyle Barraclough after Miami pulled ahead by three in the top of the inning.
The inning opened with Adam Duvall reaching on shortstop Adeiny Hechavarría's error, and Eugenio Suárez's single. After Barraclough struck out Scott Schebler, Renda ripped a grounder down the third-base line. Prado dove, made a backhanded stop and was able to get up and touch third for the second out.

"It just gets you back in the zone," Barraclough said. "You're just pumping the zone, trusting your defense. Even with Hech's error, I'm like, 'I'm going to get you another one.' That guy has been doing it all year, Gold Glove shortstop. He makes an error, whatever. You move on to the next one.
"That [Prado] play, I don't want to say it saved the game, because they still had to score a bunch of runs. But it keeps everything calm, and doesn't start the panic."
Barraclough got out of the inning without any further damage, retiring Tucker Barnhart on a slow grounder to short.
By preserving the three-run lead in the eighth, the Marlins were able to lock down the ninth with Fernando Rodney getting the save.
"That's huge," Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach said of Prado's play. "If that ball gets by him, the tying run is at second base. We guard the line some there. Two outs, we definitely do. One out, you hate to give up a double play there, and give them a base hit and let that tying run get on. So we took a little shot there. He made a heck of a play."