Scooter Gennett homers helping Cincinnati Reds win over Miami Marlins

Second baseman Scooter Gennett, bidding for a National League batting title, homered, doubled and drove in four runs to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-2 win over the host Miami Marlins on Thursday night at Marlins Park.

Gennett also made a defensive gem to end the game.

Miami (59-93), which has the worst record in the National League, was held to seven hits -- six singles and one double.

The Reds, who are in the last place in the NL Central, are 66-88.

Gennett, who started the night batting .317 and trailing only Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich at .319, went 2-for-3 against Miami. He hit a two-run, two-out double that one-hopped the wall in left-center field and then hit a two-run, two-out homer that landed in the upper deck in right.

He has 30 doubles and 23 homers this year and is batting .318.

Gennett's performance overshadowed Cody Reed (1-2), who won just his second major-league game and his first as a starter.

Reed, who has a 2-10 career record in 38 career appearances (17 starts), allowed just five hits and no walks in six scoreless innings, striking out six.

In his past two starts, Reed has pitched 11 scoreless innings, striking out 16.

Marlins starter Jeff Brigham (0-3), who has yet to win a major-league game, took the loss, allowing three hits, four walks and two runs, striking out six in five innings.

Cincinnati opened the scoring with two runs in the third. Brigham, who threw 29 pitches in a tiring inning, got off to a bad start by walking speedster Billy Hamilton, who stole second and advanced to third on catcher J.T. Realmuto's throwing error.

Scott Schebler kept the inning going with another walk, and two outs later Gennett lofted his double to give Cincinnati a 2-0 lead.

The Reds doubled their lead to 4-0 in the seventh as Jose Peraza singled with one out, and Gennett later slugged his homer on a 91-mph fastball from reliever Elieser Hernandez.

Despite allowing no runs, Reed was lifted after just 71 pitches, and the Marlins took advantage of that relatively early hook later in the eighth as Miguel Rojas drew a walk off of reliever Jared Hughes and scored when Realmuto drilled a two-out double to left.

Cincinnati brought in closer Raisel Iglesias, but Peter O'Brien, who has seven RBIs in six starts with the Marlins, followed with a run-scoring, opposite-field single off the end of his bat.

Iglesias then closed the game with a scoreless ninth, working around two walks. Gennett made a diving catch on a Rojas ground ball, saving a run and ending the game.