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Reds-Marlins Preview

Apr 15, 2010 - 4:24 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Cincinnati (5-3) at Florida (4-4), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Thanks to the bat of Jorge Cantu, the Florida Marlins are in position to secure a winning homestand.

The Marlins look for a second straight victory and split of their four-game set with the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night.

Cantu homered as Florida (5-4) avoided a third consecutive loss with a 5-3 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday. The Marlins are 3-3 on their season opening seven-game homestand.

Cantu's has three home runs this year and became the first player in major league history to have at least one hit and one RBI in each of his team's first nine games. The veteran first baseman, who spent part of the 2007 season with the Reds, has gone 13 straight contests dating to last year with a hit and an RBI - the longest stretch since Mike Piazza went 15 in a row from June 14-July 2, 2000.

"It's a great honor," said Cantu, who has 14 RBIs this season. "I'm going to keep pushing myself and get hungrier for more."

Cantu continues to hit well off Reds' pitchers, batting .313 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in 20 career games versus Cincinnati. He's 4 for 10 against Reds scheduled starter Aaron Harang.

He helped the Marlins bounce back after they lost the first two games of the set by a combined three runs.

After starters Ricky Nolasco and Nate Robertson allowed 11 runs combined in the first two games of the series, Chris Volstad gave up three in 6 2-3 solid innings for the Marlins on Wednesday.

Florida hopes scheduled starter Josh Johnson (0-1, 6.30 ERA) returns to his All-Star form of last season after a pair of mediocre starts this year.

A 15-game winner in 2009, Johnson has not lasted more than five innings in either start. He allowed three runs, struck out seven and walked three in five innings of a 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

"It's consistency. It's there, and then it's not," said Johnson, who signed a $39 million, four-year contract extension in January. "It's not what you want, but you've got to deal with it."

The right-hander gave up two runs and struck out six in 7 1-3 innings of a 3-2, 14-inning Florida win in his only start versus the Reds on May 4.

Harang (0-1, 4.50) gave up two runs and struck out nine in seven innings of that contest against the Marlins, and will face Johnson again in the series finale.

The right-hander, 3-2 with a 6.15 ERA in nine starts against the Marlins, could not hold a three-run lead and didn't factor in the decision of a 4-3 loss to Chicago on Saturday. Harang allowed three runs in seven innings while striking out seven and walking none.

He is 1-11 with a 4.75 ERA over his last 18 starts.

"You learn from the rough patches," Harang said. "You learn from your mistakes and just go out and do what you can."

Paul Janish hit a two-run homer and had two of the five hits Wednesday for Cincinnati (5-4), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

Cincinnati's Jay Bruce is batting .161 overall, but is 4 for 12 in this series. He's a lifetime .316 hitter in nine road games against the Marlins.