Reds outlasted by Fish after Castillo dominates

Right-hander spins 8 1/3 scoreless frames vs. former organization

September 22nd, 2018

MIAMI -- was up against it on Friday night. The Reds' right-handed starter did all he could do, turning in his team-high 11th quality start, while throwing scoreless ball over a career-high 8 1/3 innings. But for the fourth time in their last seven games, and 13th time this season, the Reds were shut out.
The Marlins walked off in the 10th inning on a one-out RBI double by off reliever (5-2) for a 1-0 win at Marlins Park that evened this four-game series.
"It was just a great professional pitching effort out there," said Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman. "[Both starters] were really good, and both bullpens were good. Everything was plus-plus on the pitching side. We just couldn't push a run across."

Marlins left-handed starter has been nearly unhittable at home this season. Chen went seven scoreless, allowing just three hits. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter, while dropping his ERA at Marlins Park to 1.62 (9.29 on the road).
Castillo, who came to the Reds from the Marlins in the Dan Straily trade (January 2017), departed with one out and two runners on in the ninth after issuing his only walk of the game. He gave up five hits and struck out five, throwing 73 of his 102 pitches for strikes.
"He's really been strong and dominating with his stuff, great changeup, throwing hard," Riggleman said. "Just going at hitters. He's becoming a really fine pitcher. It was a great move on our part a couple of years ago to obtain him."
It was Castillo's third career start of at least eight innings.
"It's the best game of my career," Castillo said through an interpreter. "I was attacking the hitters and I was making outs, and I was able to go deep in the game. I was throwing all of my pitches the way I wanted to throw them, and I felt really good tonight."
The Reds mustered just three hits, and were held to three hits or fewer for the 11th time this season. Their best scoring opportunity came in the fifth inning, when led off with a double. But the Reds' right fielder moved to third on a flyout and was thrown out at the plate on Blake Trahan's infield grounder for the second out before Castillo flied out to end the inning.

"We've got to run the contact play there," Riggleman said. "We can't stand there and wait for our pitcher to drive that run in. Their shortstop [JT Riddle] made a pretty good play. He went to his left and picked it a little bit and made an accurate throw, and he got us."
Trahan, hitting in the No. 8 hole, was a late replacement for , who fell ill just before game time.
"[Peraza] was just sick," Riggleman said. "He's got some kind of stomach ailment going on that got bad enough before the game that we scratched him. We'll just have to see how he feels overnight."
Scooter Gennett went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and saw his batting average dip to .316 in his chase for the National League batting title.
SOUND SMART
Curt Casali hit his 10th double of the season, tying his single-season career high originally set in 2016, when he had 10 doubles in 84 games. He's tied that mark this year in just 47 games.
The Reds are now 8-23 in their last 31 road games.
HE SAID IT
"Nothing special, it's another team. Sometimes I have that in the back of my mind -- this was a team that I played for." -- Castillo, who was a prospect in the Marlins' system
MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
The Reds won a key challenge in the eighth inning. Riggleman challenged the play at second base where Galloway, who was pinch-running, slid past the bag and into Trahan, whose relay throw to first on a double-play attempt was late. After a replay review, the call was overturned and both runners were ruled out because of Galloway's interference at second base.

Riggleman credits Bo Thompson for being on top of the play. Thompson runs the replay reviews for the Reds from the clubhouse.
"That was definitely Bo," Riggleman said. "That play was so normal back in the day, and until Bo called down there, I didn't think about it. They made a good call for us."
UP NEXT
Reds right-hander makes his fifth career start at Marlins Park in a 7:10 p.m. ET Saturday game against his former team. All four previous starts, and a total of seven appearances, occurred during the 2014 season, when DeSclafani went 2-2 with a 6.27 ERA in his rookie season -- and only year -- with the Marlins. He will be opposed by Marlins starter , who is on a roll, allowing just three runs over his last three starts, equaling the best three-start stretch of his career in terms of runs allowed.