Reds pitchers unable to limit mistakes
MIAMI -- Following four fairly smooth innings to begin Saturday's 14-3 loss at Marlins Park, Reds manager Bryan Price noticed a simple change in the Marlins' hitters.
"They started swinging the bats, boy, from the fifth to the eighth," he said. "They did some damage. That was some damage. I don't think I've ever seen nine consecutive hits before."
Reds starter Raisel Iglesias was knocked from the game with one out in the fifth inning and was eventually charged with five runs. It didn't get any better from there, as relievers Manny Parra and Pedro Villarreal combined to allow eight seventh-inning runs on nine consecutive hits -- including 10 for the entire frame.
"We just made a lot of mistakes," Price said. "There's a lot of elevation mistakes. If you go back and look at that inning, you see how many base hits were on good, quality, well-located pitches. There weren't many. To their credit, a lot of good pitches to hit get fouled off and they didn't miss them. They put them in play -- put them in play hard."
The last time the Reds surrendered 10 hits in an inning was on Aug. 21, 1961, vs. San Francisco in a 14-0 loss. In that game, Cincinnati's pitchers gave up 10 hits in the ninth inning.
On Saturday, Parra allowed five runs on five consecutive hits to begin the seventh before exiting without recording an out. Villarreal then allowed five more knocks that led to three runs before he finally ended the inning after 13 Miami batters.
"He wasn't as sharp as he's been," Price said of Parra, whose ERA ballooned from 1.65 to 4.41. "He pitched up in the zone a little more than he has been recently. So, yeah, it wasn't the best game."
Same goes for Iglesias (1-2, 5.90 ERA), who was making his first start since going on the 15-day disabled list on June 5. He threw 77 pitches, allowing five earned runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.
"I don't think it was necessarily fatigue," Price said. "There was a homer and a base hit, then there were also a couple ground balls that got through. ... They just did a great job of putting the ball in play and getting their base hits to keep things going."
Said Iglesias: "I feel good. I have no discomfort or any issue. You just have to keep going and keep your head up and keep working."