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Red-hot Reynolds delivers victory

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By Charles Nobles / Special to MLB.com

05/21/09 11:35 PM ET

MIAMI -- Third baseman Mark Reynolds, coming off a two-home run, five-steal effort in a doubleheader Wednesday night, had a dramatic encore Thursday night.

Reynolds hit a first-pitch home run in the eighth inning with Justin Upton on base to propel the D-backs to a comeback 4-3 victory over the Marlins before 12,045 at Land Shark Stadium.

Reynolds also drove in a run in the sixth. Chris Snyder hit his fourth home run of the season for the other run.

"I have these days like this, where I get locked in and I feel no one can get me out," Reynolds said as music blared in the victorious clubhouse. "I have to find a way to remember [what I'm doing when I'm hot.]"

The victory gave the D-backs the series, 3-1. Combined with a split of two games in Atlanta, the visitors have won four of six on this road trip. Considering how dismal the season has been at times, this was a cause for celebration.

Manager A.J. Hinch pointed toward Reynolds as a "big reason we're walking away winning this series."

Hinch also believes there is something more widespread at play here now.

"At the very core of a baseball team is your will to win, your determination," he said. "When you put on that Major League uniform, there's a certain expectation. These guys have certainly bounced out of a low part of this season and are playing with a ton of enthusiasm."

The manager said he has been imploring his athletes to play with more spirit.

"Play it to have fun, to win," he said. "To understand it's not always easy and not always fair."

Both teams faced possible pitching depth issues in the finale of this four-game series.

The Marlins, in particular, said they had only three pitchers available, two of them just promoted. But both starters lasted well into the game -- six innings for the D-backs' Max Scherzer, seven for the Marlins' Andrew Miller -- to keep it from getting ugly.

Scherzer allowed six hits and walked two in surrendering three runs. He struck out 10.

He said he was quite mindful of how strapped the D-backs were for pitching, even with the overnight promotions of relievers Kyler Newby and Clay Zavada, who wound up with the victory.

"I wanted to get us to the sixth at least," Scherzer said.

And he said he was able to have success by "mixing speeds and getting ahead of hitters."

Still, the D-backs trailed by a run heading into the eighth. That's when Reynolds gave the visitors a happy exit toward California.

"We've been down in the dumps because we've been losing," Scherzer said. "Taking three of four here is good for the morale."

Perhaps one of the secrets for more success is keeping Reynolds on a roll. He said he hit a slider for the winning home run, and could tell it was hittable as soon as it left pitcher Cristhian Martinez's hand.

"In the past, I'll be up, then be down for a couple of weeks," he said. "I just want to stay consistent, drive the ball and work the gaps instead of trying to pull everything."

Reynolds also has become something of an overnight stealing machine. He stole five bases in the doubleheader and another one Thursday night.

"That's a surprise part of my game lately," he said, acknowledging that coach Kirk Gibson has been showing him helpful keys to running on video.

"This series was huge," Snyder said. "This is exactly what we needed."

After the game, Newby was sent back to Mobile so that Billy Buckner could be activated to start the first game in Oakland.

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