National League Game Summary - Cincinnati at Atlanta
Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Marlon Byrd, Todd Frazier and Zack Cozart all homered to back a solid Jason Marquis in the Cincinnati Reds' 8-4 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Marquis (3-1) did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and exited after 6 1/3 innings, having allowed three runs on five hits and a pair of walks. Tony Cingrani struck out three of the four batters he faced.
"He's just been playing a lot and understands the circumstances and wants to win," Frazier said of Marquis, referring to the fact Marquis can become a free agent after this season.
In addition to the trio of home runs, the Reds got a pair of triples from Jay Bruce, who drove in two runs. Cozart was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two driven in.
Eric Stults (1-2) only allowed three singles through the first three innings but yielded six runs over his next four frames. He finished with six runs allowed on 11 hits in seven innings.
Cameron Maybin hit a two-run home run and finished with three runs batted in, and Andrelton Simmons reached base four times and drove in a run.
Stults recorded two outs in the fourth before getting in a jam when Bruce hit a fly ball to the opposite field. Kelly Johnson, who has spent most of his career in the infield, misplayed the ball which allowed Bruce to race to third base. Brandon Phillips singled home Bruce and stole second base before coming home to score on Brayan Pena's single.
With two outs an inning later, the Reds again scored two runs. Cozart and Joey Votto were on base when Bruce brought them home with his second triple, this time to right field.
Marquis cruised through the first four innings, only scattering a pair of walks before Simmons' high chopper deflected off Marquis' glove, allowing him to reach with an infield single. Atlanta took advantage of its first hit two batters later when Maybin hit his fourth home run to cut Cincinnati's lead in half.
"He's one of the toughest guys around," Maybin said of Marquis. "He's a bulldog out there."
The Reds got one of those runs back immediately when Byrd hit a solo home run on the second pitch of the sixth from Stults. An inning later, Frazier hit his eighth home run of the season to give the Reds a 6-2 lead.
A bad bounce potentially cost Atlanta a big inning in the seventh. Johnson led off with a single and scored on Simmons' double, but Simmons was erased when he was hit by the ball on Jace Peterson's infield single. After reliever Jumbo Diaz allowed a pinch-hit single with two outs, Cingrani came on in relief and struck out Nick Markakis to end the threat.
In the ninth, the Reds ran their lead to 8-3 on Cozart's two-run home run. Maybin's two-out hit in Atlanta's last at-bat accounted for the final margin.