MIAMI: Since coming off the ten-day injury list with a left foot sprain in May, Wade Miley has been literally unbeatable. The Reds left-back kept the Marlins goalless in seven innings, scattering six hits while eliminating five and walking just one in Friday’s 6-0 win over the Marlins at loanDepot Park.
Miley is now 7-0 in 16 starts since returning from IL and is really just having fun with the Reds in a shootout and competing for a playoff spot.
“We have a really good ball club here,” Miley said. “It’s very nice to come to the stadium every day. I feel like we will win every day. When you have this feeling, especially at the end of the stretch, it’s really special to be a part of it. The boys buy what we are doing and I have a great time ”.
Miley also scored an RBI double and went on to score in a fourth inning of four runs that gave the Reds a 5-0 lead.
“Viously, obviously, I want to be as productive as I can up there,” Miley said. “His pitcher hit me twice, so I just wanted to get him back. I tried to shoot him and he went the other way, so it worked.”
Coach David Bell was certainly not surprised by the ability of his pitchers on the plate.
“He calls a homer every time he gets on the plate, but we’ll take twice as much,” Bell said. “We are waiting for Homer to arrive. He goes up there, he has a shot every time he goes to the plate. It’s not always an RBI necessarily, nor a home run, but just a grassroots success [or] having a hard hit can make all the difference in a game. “
Tyler Naquin (3-for-4) stayed warm on the plate while the Reds seem to put some distance between themselves and the parents for the National League Wild Card final spot. He’s gotten much longer homers this season, but Naquin’s 382-foot starting scorer against Marlins starter Zach Thompson on the 19th gave the Reds a 1-0 lead and extended Naquin’s streak of up to 16 games, which is also the Majors’ current longest streak.
It was just a race, but it allowed Miley to settle in with an advantage, which propelled him and the Reds to another successful start.
“Hitting is contagious,” Miley said. “He’s working at a good time of year when we’re trying to give him a boost to get into the playoffs. Hopefully we can keep the train moving.”
Naquin has achieved three of the four longest home runs of the Reds season (459, 454, 454). He was named National League Player of the Week after being 13-on-26 with four homers, a triple, three doubles and a 1,706 OPS last week, which included a four-game sweep of the Marlins at Great American Ball Park .
Mike Moustakas (2 for 4) scored the victory with his sixth homer of the season, an impressive 427-foot solo shot on right field in the eighth inning.
“Today he was taking very aggressive changes and he got some results, which is fantastic,” Bell said of Moustakas. “He is working hard, doing everything he can. He wants to be a great collaborator of this team and tonight has been a great night “.