SPORTS

Reds top Brewers, 9-6, in series opener

C. Trent Rosecrans
crosecrans@enquirer.com
Reds starting pitcher Jason Marquis delivers to the plate.

Jason Marquis has long had the reputation of one of the best hitting pitchers in baseball. And so far this season, it's seemed like his mere presence inspires the Reds' bats.

Marquis had a hit and an RBI as the Reds beat up on Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson in a 9-6 victory on Monday night in front of an announced crowd of 17,167 at Great American Ball Park.

Box score:Reds 9, Brewers 6

The Reds are now 3-1 in Marquis' four starts and have scored a total of 30 runs in those four starts.

"Keep 'em coming," Marquis said of his run support. "I hope all five starters can get them too. I'll take them when they come. You've got to take advantage of those games and don't let the other team creep down into the game."

The 36-year-old right-hander picked up his first win as a Red last week in the Reds' 16-10 victory over the Brewers in Milwaukee, but gave up five runs over five innings. On Monday, he turned in his best start of his brief Reds career, allowing just two runs on seven hits over eight innings. Marquis walked two and struck out three — including the final batter he faced, Gerardo Parra, in the eighth - leaving a man on third.

Marquis' 113 pitches were the most he's thrown since 2012, the year before he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Last year, Marquis pitched in the minors for the Phillies.

"I knew I was back last year, but it's definitely nice to get to that point and live it to know your body can handle it," Marquis said of his eight-inning outing. "The game ends, I start my routine to get prepared for next start physically. I should be fine, and I was excited to go that deep in the game and give the bullpen a rest and a chance to win."

Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson, who held the Reds to a run on three hits over eight last Wednesday in Milwaukee, struggled mightily with his command on Monday. He had walked just four batters in his first three starts of the season combined, but walked five on Monday, including one intentional walk.

It was a sloppy game all around for the Brewers, who recorded nine walks, three wild pitches, a passed ball, a hit batter and an error.

Nelson's first inning was much like his last start against the Reds, retiring the team in order. But then he walked Todd Frazier — the first of three walks for Frazier on the night. Jay Bruce, who didn't have a hit since his grand slam in Marquis' last start, followed with his fourth home run of the season, giving the Reds a 2-0 lead. It was the first home run allowed in 21 innings this year by Nelson.

With one out, Nelson shattered Marlon Byrd's bat, with the barrel flying further than the ball, but Byrd beat out the roller to short, and Jean Segura's throw went into the stands. The Brewers then elected to intentionally walk Brayan Pena with one out and Jason Marquis coming to bat.

Marquis showed bunt and then pulled back his bat at one point and put a swing on the ball, hitting it foul. Finally, the one-time Silver Slugger winner hit a chopper that went off the glove of third baseman Aramis Ramirez and then bounced over shortstop Jean Segura into left field, scoring Byrd easily from second to make it 3-0.

After a Billy Hamilton single loaded the bases, Nelson walked Zack Cozart to make it 4-0. The Brewers got out of the inning when Joey Votto hit into a double play to end the inning.

The Brewers scored in the third when Jean Segura hit a grounder past a diving Votto down the first-base line to bring in Martin Maldonado from second.

Nelson started the third just as he did the second, walking Frazier. Instead of a home run, he walked Bruce — but the result was the same, as both scored. Nelson threw a wild pitch to move both runners over and then Frazier scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-1. Byrd then singled in Bruce, and Pena followed with another single, ending Nelson's night.

Nelson's final line was 2 1/3 innings pitched, six hits, seven runs, six earned runs, five walks, one strikeout, two wild pitches and a home run. He threw 71 pitches in the shortest outing of his career, and threw just 38 strikes.

Marquis greeted reliever Rob Wooten with a sacrifice bunt, but then with Billy Hamilton at the plate, Byrd scored easily on a wild pitch to make it 7-1.

The Brewers got on the board again in the sixth when Parra had a two-out double, and Adam Lind followed with a liner past a diving Votto.

The Reds answered with two more in the bottom of the sixth, as Zack Cozart led off the inning with a triple. After a strikeout by Votto and walk to Frazier, Bruce hit a sacrifice fly to score Cozart, and Brandon Phillips notched his first extra-base hit of the season, a two-out double to left to score Frazier. Phillips had gone 86 plate appearances without an extra-base hit.

Burke Badenhop managed to make a seven-run lead as uncomfortable as possible, walking the first batter he faced before giving up back-to-back singles to load the bases. Badenhop struck out Elian Herrera, who hit a grand slam off of him last week, but then gave up an RBI single to Martin Maldonado before Bryan Price went to the bullpen to bring in Aroldis Chapman to try to finish off the game that the Reds then led by six.

Chapman hit the first batter he faced, Hector Gomez, to make it 9-4. Jean Segura followed with a bouncer up the middle that Cozart was unable to come up with and the ball went into center field, scoring two more. That brought up pinch-hitter Luis Jimenez, representing the tying run. Chapman struck out Jimenez on three pitches. Pinch-hitter Ryan Braun struck out on four pitches, ending the game, but not before Chapman had to throw 13 pitches in a game the Reds led by seven in the ninth.

"(Chapman) has had a couple of days of not getting up at all, so both he and Jumbo (Diaz) were up today, it's just one of those games that you know they're going to be up at some point if you get in trouble, because you don't want a lead to slip away like that," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It just made sense. You get caught with your pants down sometimes when you try to create save situations for your closer. Things were getting sideways on us there a little bit. It just made sense to get him in there and put an end to the inning and he did a nice job of that."