CINCINNATI — JJ Bleday hit his first career MLB home run, but it wasn’t enough to help erase Braxton Garrett’s rough first inning in the Miami Marlins’ 5-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday at Great American Ball Park.
Bleday lifted a 1-1 changeup at the bottom of the strike zone from Luis Castillo, the top starting pitcher on the market as the MLB trade deadline approaches on Tuesday, and sent it a projected 366 feet to right field, where it landed in the Marlins’ bullpen. It was Miami’s second home run of the game, with Nick Fortes also hitting a solo shot to lead off the third inning.
But Miami (46-52) was playing from behind all game. Garrett needed 36 pitches to get out of a first inning in which the Reds (38-59) scored four runs on five hits and a walk. All three run-scoring hits came with two outs. Two of those hits — a Kyle Farmer two-RBI double and Donovan Solano RBI double — came with two strikes. Matt Reynolds followed them with an RBI single.
