Postgame: In Preparation for the Post-season, Marlins Smash Out 5 Hits and Crumble 8-1 to Cincy

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CINCINNATI -- Sean West had such high hopes before Sunday's game. Though it rained for most of the morning, West kept a sunny disposition. The Marlins left-hander, after all, had won four of his past five decisions, and since the team had recalled him from the Minor Leagues, Florida had won seven of the eight games in which he started.

But by the third inning, West's positive thoughts had evaporated. He had flustered himself, and he couldn't get himself out of his funk.

The Reds took advantage, knocking him out of the game in the fifth inning with five hits, three walks and five runs, as Cincinnati split the four-game series with an 8-1 victory Sunday.

Chalk it up to another learning experience for a 23-year-old who was making just his 19th big league start.

"It's the stuff you have to deal with with a young pitcher," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "A couple steps forward and you see great improvements. And then you get a start like this. It's just experience. In the long run, he'll benefit from it.

"He'll learn from it, and in his next start, he'll keep getting better. We can't put him anywhere else. For him to learn that kind of stuff, there will be days when you don't have your best stuff and you have to get through it somehow. There's no other place to get through it than the big leagues."

West (7-6) looked fine in the first two innings, retiring six straight batters. But in the third, he allowed an RBI double to Reds center fielder Drew Stubbs, and from there, West couldn't gather himself.

He allowed back-to-back walks in the fourth inning before Reds backup catcher Corky Miller hit a three-run blast over the left-field wall -- his first home run since June 11, 2008, and his first for the Reds in seven seasons -- to make the score 4-0.

Less than an inning later, after giving up back-to-back singles to lead off the frame, West's day was over.

"I just didn't have my stuff today," West said. "I flustered myself. I was just hoping for things to happen instead of expecting for them to happen. I felt like I let the team down. I think they were expecting more out of me. I was trying to do it, but I just didn't allow it to happen today."

With Florida already in a 5-0 hole, Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto hit a two-run blast in the seventh inning, and after a Brandon Phillips triple, Scott Rolen's RBI groundout provided more than enough run support for Cincinnati right-hander Kip Wells.

Although Florida touched him for a run in the eighth, when right fielder Brett Carroll hit an RBI single, and although the Marlins loaded the bases later that inning, Reds relievers Daniel Ray Herrera got Nick Johnson to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play. Micah Owings pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning seal the game.

Wells -- who entered the game with a 1-4 record and a 5.23 ERA -- was solid, allowing five hits and one run in seven-plus innings while throwing an efficient 92 pitches.

"He was throwing his sinker, and it was working good for him," Florida second baseman Dan Uggla said. "I don't know about anybody else, but I swung at a lot of bad pitches and let some good ones go. He kept us off balance and stayed down in the zone. He just had his stuff working for him."

Although the Marlins split the series with the Reds, they have to be disappointed with the way the four-game series ended.

They scored just 10 runs in the four games here, and considering this is one of the most favorable parks for hitters in the league and considering the Marlins desperately need to make up ground in the playoff races, it must have felt like an opportunity lost.

"Everybody gets excited when they come and play here," Uggla said. "It's a small ballpark and everybody wants to hit a bunch of home runs here. But when the opposing pitching staff shuts all that down, you have to take your hat off to them."

Josh Katzowitz is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs

[nny]

I still am hoping for playoffs and with how West has pitched and the fact that everyone else we could replace him with sucks mean it's going to hurt our playoff chances even more

But I'd really really like to see us shut him down. his IP increase is getting real real high. We're only talking about 2 more starts, so only 8-14 ip, but still.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

But I'd really really like to see us shut him down. his IP increase is getting real real high. We're only talking about 2 more starts, so only 8-14 ip, but still.

I said this exact thing about two or three West starts ago on Juan Rodriguez's live game blog. I know everyone thinks I hate West (I'll admit, he's not my favorite) but that doesn't affect the fact that he's already pitching more than he ever has, especially when he's already had shoulder problems before.

I'm less optomistic about making the playoffs (being 5 back of the Rockies with 12 to go and the Giants still in between us is not favorable for us) and think we should really shut down West and JJ (also over his career high in innings) to save them for next year.

As Ramp has been saying, let the kids play.

[FishFanInPA]

The line is drawn in the sand for me Tuesday. Not that it matters but a sweep of the Phillies still keeps hopes alive on both fronts. A split will not do.