Janson Junk delivered a masterful performance on Monday night, allowing just one hit over six innings as the Miami Marlins opened a four-game series with a 5-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Rookie catcher Agustín Ramírez provided the power with a towering home run and two RBI, as Miami continued its recent surge with its 11th win in 14 games.
The game, delayed an hour by rain, featured a strong outing from Junk (3-1), who made his fourth consecutive start after opening the season as a long reliever. The right-hander was nearly flawless, giving up only a leadoff single to Spencer Steer in the fifth inning and striking out six. His only trouble came in the second, when a walk, a passed ball, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly led to an unearned run and a brief 1-0 Reds lead.
It was a rare walk from Junk, who had not issued one in 89 innings dating back to last season — the second-longest such streak in the majors. After the second-inning hiccup, Junk settled in, retiring nine straight batters and then eight more following Steer’s lone hit.
Ramírez sparked the Miami offense in the fifth with an RBI double off Reds starter Brady Singer (7-7), plating Xavier Edwards to tie the game at 1-1. Liam Hicks followed with a go-ahead single, giving the Marlins a 2-1 advantage. Singer, who beat the Marlins 5-2 earlier this season, allowed two runs over five innings in the loss.
Miami padded its lead in the sixth with a Derek Hill RBI groundout and a sacrifice fly from Javier Sanoja. Then, in the seventh, Ramírez crushed a 420-foot solo home run to left off Lyon Richardson — his 14th of the season — to make it 5-1.
Lake Bachar was sharp in relief, retiring eight straight before exiting in the ninth with two on. Anthony Bender came in and promptly struck out Austin Hays on three pitches to earn his second save of the year.
Despite the loss, Cincinnati still holds a commanding 135-105 lead in the all-time series and has won 24 of 38 against Miami since 2019. However, the Reds have now dropped seven of their last 11.
After issuing back-to-back walks in the second, Junk settled down and retired 17 of the next 18 batters, completely silencing the Cincinnati lineup.
Junk’s walkless streak of 89 innings, which ended Monday, was the second-longest active stretch in the major leagues.
The series continues Tuesday night as Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez (1-2, 4.50 ERA) takes the mound against Reds righty Nick Martinez (6-8, 4.20 ERA).
