THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CINCINNATI, Ohio — Scott Rolen drove in the winning run in the ninth inning with a sharp infield single that third baseman Hanley Ramirez failed to handle, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins on Sunday.
Jay Bruce started the comeback with his second home run of the game and third of the season, an opposite-field drive into the left-centre field seats that cost Marlins new closer Heath Bell (0-1) a save in his first opportunity. One out later, Drew Stubbs chopped a single that hit off a leaping Ramirez’s glove. Stubbs moved to third on Ryan Hanigan’s single to right field.
Pinch-hitting, Rolen hit a grounder to third that Ramirez, a converted shortstop in his first season at third base, tried to backhand but failed to grab it.
Left-hander Aroldis Chapman (1-0) pitched two shutout innings of relief for the win.
The Marlins got at least one hit in every inning against Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo and every starter — including Carlos Zambrano — had a hit. Five different players drove in a run each.
Zambrano retired 13 of 14 batters in one stretch, including 12 straight before Bruce homered with two outs in the sixth inning to give Cincinnati a 4-2 lead.
Zambrano lasted six innings, allowing four hits and four runs with two walks and six strikeouts.
The Reds led 3-0 and 4-2 before the Marlins scored three runs to take a 5-4 lead in the seventh, which opened with Arroyo hitting Greg Dobbs with a pitch. Brett Hayes then hit a hard shot into the left field corner, but had to stop at first as Dobbs hobbled into second, where he was replaced by pinch-runner Gaby Sanchez.
Pinch-hitter Chris Coghlan lined a double to the right-centre field wall to drive in Sanchez and push Hayes to third. Jose Reyes came up with an RBI groundout to tie the score and Emilio Bonifacio singled to right through a drawn-in Reds infield to give Miami the lead.
Arroyo gave up 10 hits and five runs — four earned — with no walks and four strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings.
NOTES: Phillips grounded a single up the middle for his second hit of the game and 1,000th of his career with the Reds. He is the 28th player in club history to reach 1,000 hits. … Cairo started at third base in place of Rolen, who was 1 for 7 in Cincinnati’s first two games. Rolen, who didn’t play after July 20 last season because of left shoulder problems that required surgery, is expected not to start several day games after night games. … The Marlins play their third home opener in their first seven games when they face the Phillies in Philadelphia on Monday.