Reds Turn Tables On Marlins, Hold On Late For 8-7 Win

Cincinnati, OH (AHN) - Cincinnati lagged behind early against the best team in the majors but mustered enough offense down the stretch and the Reds secured an 8-7 victory over Florida on Monday night at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds trailed at the onset 3-0 as the Marlins, who came to the game carrying a league-best 23-14 mark, raced to the lead on three different solo homers. Jeremy Hermida, Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla belted homeruns to keep Reds ace Aaron Harang on the ropes early.

But the veteran right-hander settled later on and soon enough, the hard-luck Reds, the current NL Central bottom-feeders, followed suit.

Corey Patterson, who went 4-for-5, started the onslaught with an RBI double before reaching home on Jorge Cantu's throwing error in the fifth. Cincinnati then snatched the lead in the sixth when Adam Dunn made a sac fly and Edwin Encarnacion sailed home on a wild pitch from Marlins starter Burke Badenhop.

After Florida tied the game at 4-all on Mike Rabelo's sacrifice fly, the Reds busted out with back-to-back homers from Keppinger and Brandon Phillips. The two-run shots gave Cincinnati an 8-4 lead heading to the eighth.

Still, the Reds weren't out of the woods yet. Florida managed three more runs on an RBI single from Luis Gonzalez and a costly error from Ken Griffey Jr., which scored home Gonzalez and Uggla.

Harang (2-5) finally secured the victory, his first in more than a month, and Francisco Cordero saved his sixth game in as many opportunities.

Florida came to the opener of a four-game series fresh from a seven-game winning streak. That included back-to-back sweeps of Milwaukee and Washington, which they pounded via a combined three-game score of 23-7.

Taylor Tankersley took the loss after allowing four runs in one inning. Harang surrendered four runs and seven hits through seven innings.

Mark Hendrickson will oppose Edinson Volquez when the series resumes for Game 2 on Tuesday night.