Elieser hit hard by Reds but Jazz stays hot

Right-hander Elieser Hernandez made his second start since coming off the 60-day injured list and it was an outing he would like to forget as the Reds beat the Marlins, 5-3, on Friday night at Great American Ball Park.

Hernandez, who was on the IL with a strained right quad, said he felt fine. But he got off to a slow start by allowing two runs in the first inning. After Tyler Naquin tripled with one out, Nick Castellanos doubled down the left-field line. Two batters later, Kyle Farmer hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Castellanos.

Hernandez then settled down and retired seven straight hitters. He found himself in trouble in the fourth but escaped the inning. The Reds had the first two hitters on base, but Hernandez got Mike Moustakas and Aristides Aquino on swinging strikeouts. After an intentional walk to Tucker Barnhart, Hernandez struck out pitcher Sonny Gray looking to end the threat.

“As long as I have good location, I’m going to have good results,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez found himself in trouble again an inning later. But this time, the Reds used the long ball. With one out, Naquin homered to make it a 3-0 game. After plunking Castellanos with an 0-1 fastball, Hernandez surrendered Joey Votto's mammoth home run over the right-center wall. It marked the fourth time in a row Votto homered after Castellanos was hit by a pitch.

“Joey made us pay again,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “It looked like [Hernandez] was trying to go away and it was another ball [that was] pulled into the nitro zone again. He is just not missing right now.”

The Marlins couldn’t touch Gray, who pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed one hit.

“He was aggressive with his breaking stuff,” Mattingly said. “He was getting strike one. He was getting ahead. He had our guys off balance a little bit with his breaking stuff.”

The only time Gray was in trouble was in the fourth inning. The Marlins had the bases loaded with one out when Brian Anderson flied out to Naquin in center field, but it wasn’t deep enough to score Jazz Chisholm Jr. Lewis Brinson struck out to end the threat.

“[Catcher] Tucker [Barnhart] did an unbelievable job of just kind of keeping my head on my shoulders and keeping me pushing in the right direction at that moment,” Gray said. “I really needed him at that moment, and I was glad that he was there for me."

After struggling against Gray, the Marlins were able to take it to right-handed reliever Lucas Sims, who allowed a three-run homer to Chisholm in the eighth inning.

“I was trying to barrel up something and get the runs in or get at least one run in and pass the baton on,” Chisholm said. “It’s runners on second and third with less than two outs. I’m just trying to do my job.”

It was Chisholm’s third homer in his last five games, and he feels that he is becoming the power hitter that he was in the Minor Leagues. In 2018, Chisholm hit a career-high 25 home runs. He now has 14 this season.

“I feel I’m back at me,” Chisholm said. “I feel very comfortable in the box against everybody that goes on the mound. I feel I’m taking really good swings. My swing feels great. I feel everything is clicking for me right now.”

The Marlins have lost five consecutive games and their record dropped to 51-72.