Hanley Ramirez shines as Florida Marlins overpower Cincinnati Reds 9-5 – MLB Update
Florida Marlins’ short-stop Hanley Ramirez struck his first home run of the season as the Marlins clinched a 9-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on May 1.
Ramirez had a shaky performance in the previous games of the season, but he proved his spot in a team with a convincing win. He expressed his excitement as, “It feels good to get the first one, but I really want my timing back.”
There were number of home runs hit in a game and the Marlins scored all their runs on homers. During the first inning, Ramirez struck a home run and took two RBIs single to take the lead 2-0. In the mean time, Jay Bruce hit his fifth homer of the season
to tie the score 2-2. It was considered as the high shot towards the right centre-field position.
The Marlins’ Manager Edwin Rodriguez was pleased with the performance of Ramirez and all other players. He said, “I'm not concerned about his numbers. I am more concerned with how he is handling the slump. I know the numbers will be there. So far, he's handled
it well. Everyone has been battling. Everyone has contributed.”
In the second inning, Greg Dobbs hit a tie breaking homer towards the right-field area and led off the Marlins 3-2. It was the second home run of the season for Dobbs. He had an impressive game as he went 3-for-3 and made three runs. The third, fourth and
fifth innings were scoreless for both the clubs. In the sixth inning, Brandon Phillips struck a shot to left-field which resulted in a homer and the Reds again tied the score 3-3.
John Buck hit his third home run of the season in the seventh inning after following the lead-off single taken by Dobbs. At that time, the Marlins were dominant with 5-3. The Marlins posted four runs in the eighth inning to extend the lead 9-3 when Dobbs
completed a walk, Buck took a single and Emilio Bonifacio hit a peak high homer in the right-field area.
Speaking to reporters, Bonifacio said, “The guys were laughing when I came to the dugout. I hit one in the winter league, but it's much better to hit one in the major leagues.”
The Reds reduced the lead when Chris Heisey took a bases-loaded double in the ninth inning and the scorecard moved to 9-5. The Reds’ hitters did not perform well and put their team way back from the rivals.
The Marlins’ starter Ricky Nolasco threw seven innings and gave away three runs on six hits with three earned runs and five strike-outs. Leo Nunez pitched in the end for his ninth save and had one strike-out.
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