Reds survive the Marlins, 6–3 in 10 — while I got DFA’d by my own bedtime

The Cincinnati Reds went into Miami and did what good teams do: refused to lose. I, meanwhile, did what I do best: fell asleep at the worst possible time. The final inning? Missed it. I was in REM sleep running a perfect game against responsibility.

Final: Reds 6, Marlins 3 (10 innings). Five straight wins. 8–3 overall, 5–0 on the road. The Reds are basically treating away games like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Sandy Alcantara was cooking… then the kitchen caught fire

For eight innings, Sandy Alcantara looked like he was pitching with a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the strike zone. Two-hit shutout entering the ninth, 24 straight scoreless innings this season—the man had our bats looking like decorative items.

Miami scraped together a 2–0 lead on a couple of run-scoring groundouts (Otto Lopez and Heriberto Hernández), which is the baseball equivalent of winning a fight by gently pushing someone down the stairs. Not flashy, but it counts.

Ninth inning: Cincinnati chooses violence (the legal kind)

Then the ninth inning showed up and the Reds said, “Enough of this polite nonsense.”

Matt McLain doubled again, Elly De La Cruz walked, and suddenly Miami’s vibe went from “comfortable” to “why is my heart doing that?”

The Reds pulled off a double steal—because of course they did. Elly on the bases is basically a jump scare.

Sal Stewart lifted a sac fly to make it 2–1, and then the baseball gods delivered comedy: Anthony Bender threw a game-tying wild pitch with two outs. That’s right—Miami helped tie the game by launching the ball into the general area code of “not the catcher.”

2–2. Extra innings. Everyone’s stressed. I’m asleep like a house cat.

Tenth inning: the Reds kick the door off the hinges

Top of the 10th, and Miami brings in Calvin Faucher, who unfortunately had the command of a shopping cart with one bad wheel.

• Nathaniel Lowe: go-ahead single. 3–2 Reds.

• Matt McLain: two-run double because he apparently hates quiet endings. 5–2 Reds.

• Elly De La Cruz: RBI groundout, because even his outs come with a receipt. 6–2 Reds.

That’s a four-run 10th. The Reds didn’t just take the lead—they took Miami’s lunch money and left a note that said “thanks.”

The bullpen: stress, but make it successful

Emilio Pagán in the ninth walked two and flirted with disaster like it was a hobby, then slammed the door anyway—two big strikeouts and a flyout to escape. Clean? No. Effective? Absolutely.

Then Graham Ashcraft finished it in the 10th. After Miami pushed one across, he got a game-ending double play to end the night like a bouncer escorting chaos out the front door.

Toss Boss recap

The Reds just beat a team with a legit ace on the mound, came back in the ninth, and dropped a four-piece in extras like they were ordering off a value menu.

Next up: Brady Singer vs. Eury Pérez. I’ll try to stay awake for the ending this time — because apparently the Reds only do the fun stuff when I’m in sleep mode.