Uggla helps Marlins rout Reds again

Marlins 9, Reds 3

MIAMI (AP) -- The Florida Marlins may have found a solution for their woes at home: playing the Cincinnati Reds.

Dan Uggla broke a tie with a two-run homer in the seventh inning, and the Marlins routed the Reds for the third game in a row Sunday, 9-3.

Florida outscored Cincinnati 30-6 in the final three games of the series. Nineteen of the Marlins' runs came against the Reds' beleaguered bullpen.

"We swung the bats this series," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Let's keep going."

Even with three wins in a row to conclude their homestand 6-4, the Marlins have one of baseball's worst home records at 23-29.

"For whatever reason, we haven't played as well here," Uggla said. "We've got to step up the intensity at home. We did that this series."

It helped to play the Reds, who have the worst record in the NL. They finished their trip 5-6 and still haven't had a winning trip since June 19-26, 2006.

Florida endured a loss, too: Shortstop Hanley Ramirez departed in the first inning when he partially dislocated his left shoulder on a swing and a miss. Gonzalez said Ramirez might be back in the lineup as early as Tuesday.

"It's nothing alarming right now," Gonzalez said.

Jeff Keppinger had a career-high four hits in five at-bats and hit his first homer of the year for the Reds. But they were hurt by squandered chances early against rookie Rick Vanden Hurk.

"I've never seen so many missed opportunities in the first four innings," interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "We had their pitcher on the ropes and just couldn't get it done."

Nine Reds failed to score after they reached scoring position before Florida blew the game open.

With the score 2-all, Cody Ross walked to start the seventh against Bronson Arroyo (4-11), and Uggla hit his 19th homer. Arroyo departed, and the Marlins tacked on five runs against the Reds' bullpen.

"We've got some guys down in the pen that haven't been in the big leagues for a long time," Arroyo said. "It has been a grind for them all year, like it has been for the whole team."

Uggla finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Battling a slump, he sat out a game for the first time this season on Wednesday, and since then he's 11-for-20 (.550) with two home runs.

"I definitely needed that mental break," Uggla said. "You just keep digging yourself deeper in a hole, and sometimes you need to take a step back and be able to relax and not think about it. I think it helped me out."

Miguel Cabrera doubled in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, longest of the year for the Marlins. He later came home on a single by Josh Willingham, who finished 4-for-5.

Florida added four runs in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Jason Wood singled home a run, Uggla hit an RBI double and Cabrera added a two-run single.

Mike Jacobs hit a two-run homer in the fifth for the Marlins, who came into the game leading the major leagues with 29 homers in July. They totaled 16 hits.

"It just goes to show what our offense is capable of when everybody gets hot at the same time," Jacobs said.

Vanden Hurk trailed 2-0 after two batters but allowed no more runs and made it through six innings. He allowed seven hits, walked two, hit two batters and pitched around an error, lowering his ERA to 6.53.

"You can't go out every day and have your best stuff," the rookie said. "You have to battle, and I was able to do that today."

Renyel Pinto (2-3) pitched the seventh, Justin Miller pitched a perfect eighth to extend his scoreless streak to 14 1/3 consecutive innings, and Kevin Gregg gave up an RBI double to Adam Dunn in the ninth.

Cincinnati had four extra-base hits and 11 baserunners in the first five innings, but managed only two runs. David Ross was stranded after a leadoff double in the second. Pedro Lopez was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on a two-out single in the fourth.

In each of the first three innings, a Cincinnati batter lined out to third baseman Cabrera, and he doubled one runner off first.

Game notes
Willingham's RBI was his 29th after the sixth inning. He began the game leading the NL in that category. ... Arroyo's decision was his first in five career outings against the Marlins. He last faced them Sept. 8, 2002.