CINCINNATI (AP) — The Miami Marlins were missing slugger Giancarlo Stanton, and the Cincinnati Reds still had trouble keeping them in the ballpark.

Chris Johnson drove in two runs with a homer and a double, former reliever David Phelps pitched into the sixth inning in his third start of the season and the Marlins opened the four-game series with a 6-3 victory Monday night.

Marcell Ozuna also homered and Dee Gordon beat Joey Votto’s high toss to pitcher Blake Wood covering first base for a bases-loaded, two-run infield single for Miami, which has won two straight games after a three-game losing streak. Both wins have come since Stanton was lost on Saturday for what is expected to be at least six weeks with a groin injury.

“They took advantage of some elevation pitches,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “I bet they are tickled to death to be hitting here instead of their own ballpark.”

The Marlins went into Monday one-half game behind St. Louis for the National League’s second wild-card slot.

Phelps (6-6) struck out a season-high eight — one short of matching his career high — while allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings. He gave up four hits with one walk.

Scott Schebler drove in two of Cincinnati’s runs with a homer and a bases-loaded walk. His solo homer in the second snapped an 0-for-28 slump.

Gordon led off the game with a double to right and scored on Martin Prado’s single on the 12th pitch of his at-bat against Brandon Finnegan. Johnson snapped a 1-1 tie with his solo home run into the visitor’s bullpen in right, his fifth of the season and first since July 20.

Ozuna stretched the lead with a homer to lead off the sixth, his 20th of the season and first since July 30.

Finnegan (7-9), 2-0 in his last three starts and 4-1 over his last six, allowed seven hits and four runs with three walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

“I made a lot of good pitches today,” Finnegan said. “I had bad luck on two routine fly balls that carried out. I’ve been going deep into games all year. There were just a few games that I didn’t.”

The Marlins added two insurance runs in the eighth on Gordon’s bases-loaded chopper. Aden Hechavarria scored all the way from second on the play.

“We got into a bind in that inning,” Price said. “We had a bang-bang play at first and they had some speed on the bases.”

Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 21st save.

REED REGROUPING: The Reds optioned winless LHP Cody Reed to Triple-A Louisville before Tuesday’s game. Reed allowed six runs in Cincinnati’s 7-3 loss at Milwaukee on Sunday before being pulled in the second inning. He is 0-7 with a 7.36 ERA in 10 starts.

EARLY NIGHT: Miami manager Don Mattingly was ejected in the bottom of the third inning by plate umpire Bill Welke after complaining to the third base umpire about a ruling that Tucker Barnhart didn’t swing at a pitch. The ejection was Mattingly’s third of the season.

HITLESS IN CINCY: Ichiro Suzuki went 0 for 4 on Monday to fall to 0 for 7 in his career at Great American Ball Park, the only existing stadium in which he’s failed to record a hit.

TRAINING ROOM

Marlins: RHP A.J. Ramos threw on Monday for the first time since going on the DL on Aug. 6 with a fractured finger on his right hand. Depending on how he feels, the next step would be a bullpen on Tuesday, Mattingly said.

Reds: CF Billy Hamilton left Monday’s game after five innings with a right knee contusion. Hamilton banged into the center field wall and the left-center field chain-link fence going after balls in the first three innings.

UP NEXT

Marlins: Miami announced after the game that RHP Jose Urena (1-3) will be recalled from Triple-A New Orleans to start Tuesday’s second game of the series against the Reds.

Reds: Ex-Marlin RHP Anthony DeSclafani (6-1) is scheduled to make his second career start against his former team on Tuesday. DeSclafani is coming off his first loss of the season, 3-2 last Wednesday at St Louis.

MONDAY’S GAME

Marlin 6, Reds 3

Miami AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Prado 3b 5 0 3 1 0 0 .324

Yelich lf 4 0 0 0 1 1 .314

Ozuna cf 5 1 1 1 0 0 .281

Realmuto c 4 1 0 0 1 1 .309

Suzuki rf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .311

Johnson 1b 3 1 2 2 1 1 .233

1-Rojas pr-1b 0 1 0 0 0 0 .243

Hechavarria ss 3 1 1 0 1 0 .251

Phelps p 3 0 0 0 0 2 .125

Ellington p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Cervenka p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

McGowan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Dunn p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

b-Dietrich ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .281

Barraclough p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Rodney p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Gordon 2b 5 1 2 2 0 0 .290

Totals 36 6 9 6 5 7

 

Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Hamilton cf 1 0 0 0 1 1 .263

Holt cf 3 0 1 0 0 0 .214

De Jesus ss 5 1 1 0 0 3 .235

Votto 1b 4 0 1 0 1 2 .303

Duvall lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .243

Suarez 3b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .238

Schebler rf 3 1 1 2 1 2 .171

Renda 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .143

Barnhart c 4 1 2 0 0 0 .267

Finnegan p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .106

Diaz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Lorenzen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

a-Waldrop ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .238

Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Ohlendorf p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

c-Cozart ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .265

Totals 34 3 7 2 5 13

 

Miami 100 102 020 = 6 9 2

Cincinnati 010 001 100 = 3 7 1

 

a-struck out for Lorenzen in the 7th. b-walked for Dunn in the 8th. c-walked for Ohlendorf in the 9th.

1-ran for Johnson in the 8th.

E—Hechavarria 2 (10), Renda (1). LOB—Miami 8, Cincinnati 9. 2B—Johnson (10), Gordon (5), Barnhart (18). 3B—Prado (3). HR—Johnson (5), off Finnegan; Ozuna (20), off Finnegan; Schebler (3), off Phelps. RBIs—Prado (55), Ozuna (61), Johnson 2 (21), Gordon 2 (9), Schebler 2 (14). SB—Yelich (5).

Runners left in scoring position—Miami 3 (Prado, Realmuto, Phelps); Cincinnati 5 (Votto 2, Renda 2, Barnhart). RISP—Miami 2 for 7; Cincinnati 1 for 11.

Runners moved up—Hechavarria, De Jesus. GIDP—Ozuna, Suarez.

DP—Miami 1 (Gordon, Hechavarria, Johnson); Cincinnati 1 (De Jesus, Renda, Votto).

 

Miami IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Phelps W, 6-6 5 1-3 4 2 2 1 8 90 2.48

Ellington H, 2 1-3 0 0 0 2 0 14 0.53

Cervenka 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 27.00

McGowan H, 2 1 2 1 0 0 2 20 3.16

Dunn H, 3 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 6 3.04

Barraclough H, 24 1 1 0 0 0 1 22 3.00

Rodney S, 21-23 1 0 0 0 1 2 16 5.06\

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Finnegan L, 7-9 5 1-3 7 4 4 3 3 97 4.54

Diaz 2-3 0 0 0 0 1 8 3.42

Lorenzen 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 2.30

Wood 2-3 2 2 2 2 1 32 3.54

Ohlendorf 1 1-3 0 0 0 0 2 15 4.44

Cervenka pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

Inherited runners-scored—Ellington 1-0, Cervenka 3-1, McGowan 3-0, Dunn 1-0, Diaz 1-0, Ohlendorf 2-0. WP—Wood.

Umpires—Home, Bill Welke; First, D.J. Reyburn; Second, Larry Vanover; Third, Pat Hoberg.

T—3:41. A—16,918 (42,319).