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“We just thought the matchup and the pitch usage with Walker played well,” Price said about Suarez batting second. “He’s been at .350-.360 on-base percentage, so we thought that would be a good spot for him leading into (Joey) Votto and (Adam) Duvall and Scooter (Gennett) and (Devin) Mesoraco and (Scott) Schebler. He’s comfortable there.”
Suarez, who batted .248 with 21 home runs, 70 RBIs and a .317 on-base percentage over 159 games with the Reds last season, went into Thursday’s game hitting .252 with a .356 on-base percentage, but he was on pace to draw 79 walks — a vast improvement over the 51 with which he finished 2016 — while striking out 152 times, down a bit from last season’s 155. He also was on pace to finish with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs.
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He picked up that pace Thursday with two home runs and a walk.
“I think you’re seeing the evolution of a good, young hitter,” Price said of his regular third baseman, who turned 26 on Tuesday. “He’s not chasing hits. Instead, he’s chasing good pitches to hit. He’s trusting in his ability to hit with two strikes, and that’s putting him in better counts. His on-base percentage is a big part of the reason.”
Nursing Zack: Suarez batted in what normally is shortstop Zack Cozart's slot, but the All-Star starter was getting a planned day off after spending most of the second half of June on the disabled list with a strained right quad.
“Coming out of the break, we had two scheduled days off,” Price said. “(Thursday) is the second. After this, we’ll play it by ear. He knows how to deal with what he’s playing with. He’s got a pretty good sense on how to handle it.”
Price kept Cozart on schedule despite the recent games put together by the veteran. Cozart had fallen a triple short of the cycle in each of Cincinnati’s last two game while going 7-for-10 with two doubles, two home runs and three RBIs. His ground-rule double to deep right-center field with nobody out and Billy Hamilton on first base in the 11th inning Wednesday prompted an intentional walk of Joey Votto, setting up Adam Duvall’s walkoff single for a 4-3 win.
Mystery man: Price still wasn't ready to identify who would start Saturday in place of right-hander Scott Feldman, who went on the disabled list Tuesday with right knee inflammation. Right-hander Asher Wojciechowski (1-1), who went into Thursday's game with four starts among his nine appearances this season for Cincinnati, remains a candidate, Price said. Wojciechowski allowed two hits and one run over a career-high five relief innings Monday, which helped save the bullpen and stretched him out for a possible start.
Fond memory: The last time Tucker Barnhart faced Miami Marlins right-hander Jose Urena, the Reds catcher capped a five-run first inning with his only career grand slam, leading Cincinnati to a 6-3 win last Aug. 16 at Great American Ball Park.
Urena (7-4) is Miami’s scheduled starter in Friday’s opener of a three-game series that completes Cincinnati’s 10-game home stand. Right-hander Homer Bailey is the Reds’ scheduled starter. Bailey (2-3) is coming off a start last Sunday against Washington in which he allowed eight hits and eight runs, including two Daniel Murphy home runs, while not recording an out in the fifth inning.
Bailey, who will be making his sixth start since coming off the disabled list, is 2-1 in eight career starts against the Marlins, who have lost five of their last six.
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