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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- It began with cow milking and corn tossing,
dragged on through a rain delay and turned downright weird at the
end.
By any measure, the Florida Marlins' 10-5 victory over the
Cincinnati Reds in 11 innings Saturday night earned a nomination
for the all-time wacky list.
Two of the NL's top closers blew leads. Dante Bichette neglected
to tag up and win the game in the ninth. One wild play canceled out
another.
After Mike Lowell's two-run double closed out a wild performance
by Mark Wohlers and started a five-run rally in the 11th, all the
Marlins could do was marvel.
"It was goofy," manager John Boles said. "Both teams were
playing all-out. I mean, it had everything. This was bizarre."
It was costly for the Reds, who fell six games behind St. Louis
in the NL Central with their fourth consecutive loss. What made it
worse was the way they let victory slip away twice in the ninth.
Their bungling helped the Marlins pull out their fourth straight
win and improve to 55-54 -- one win better than the Reds.
"That was a tough one all the way around," manager Jack McKeon
said. "Nothing seemed to work."
The Marlins even won the Farmers' Night competitions on the
field before the game, an annual promotion in Cincinnati.
"I think it started with the cow milking, the corn tossing and
the calf feeding," said Florida's Mike Redmond, who figured in two
late rallies. "We knew then we were in for a rough night."
Marlins starter A.J. Burnett singled for his first major league
RBI in the second inning, stubbed his toe as he watched the ball
and tripped and fell into the dirt at first -- a preview of coming
distractions.
A 26-minute rain delay in the top of the seventh forced Burnett
and Reds starter Rob Bell out of the game and put Florida's 3-2
lead into the hands of both bullpens, which couldn't hold any lead
until the final one.
Wohlers (0-1), making a comeback from wildness and
reconstructive elbow surgery, got his first loss in two years
because he lost his feel for the strike zone.
Wohlers, who hadn't allowed a run in five previous appearances,
walked four of eight batters he faced in one-plus inning, giving up
three runs. He threw 17 strikes out of 40 pitches.
"He's pitched super up until tonight," McKeon said. "All of
them have off-nights."
Wohlers gave up two walks opening the 11th, and Larry Luebbers
relieved and gave up Lowell's two-run double. Chris Clapinski added
a two-run double and Mark Smith doubled home another run,
completing the five-run rally.
Wohlers wasn't the only one having problems. Cincinnati's Danny
Graves and Florida's Antonio Alfonseca (4-4) blew save chances
during the final innings.
Benito Santiago singled with the bases loaded off Dan Miceli to
put the Reds ahead 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth. Graves then
blew a save for only the third time in 21 chances by giving up Mark
Kotsay's run-scoring double in the ninth.
The Reds had a win at their fingertips when they loaded the
bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth off Ricky Bones, who
won the corn throwing competition before the game.
Bichette, who was on third, took off for home when Pokey Reese
hit a liner to left. He couldn't get back to the base in time to
tag up when Mark Smith made the catch after running hard to his
left.
"I just read it as a single to left," Bichette said. "Right
off the bat, I knew I read it wrong. I tried to get back and I
couldn't go. It was a big mistake and it cost us the game."
That wasn't the Reds' only bad moment in the inning. It started
when Ken Griffey Jr. stood at the plate for several seconds after
drawing a walk -- he lost track of the count and had to be coaxed to
first by the fans and home plate umpire Tony Randazzo.
Kevin Millar's pinch-single in the top of the 10th off Wohlers
put the Marlins ahead again, but Alfonseca got his fourth blown
save in 37 chances when Griffey singled to tie it at 5 in the
bottom half.
Game notes
Florida's Luis Castillo, who strained his right hamstring
during Friday's game, will be out for a couple of days. He leads
the majors with 46 steals. ... Infield coach Tony Taylor felt dizzy
and had an upset stomach, prompting a trip to a hospital. Tests
were negative and he was with the team for the game. ... Bell
singled for his first major league hit in the fifth. He had been
0-for-24 with 17 strikeouts. ... Reds SS Barry Larkin has a
sprained knee ligament and will be sidelined for up to five days.
He hurt it sliding hard into second base Friday night.
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