MIAMI _ A demotion to the minor leagues can be an effective wake-up call to any player who has become accustomed to the big league lifestyle.
Adam Conley didn't exactly dominate during a recent detour to Triple-A New Orleans. Whether or not he had an epiphany in New Orleans, the left-hander has been a markedly different pitcher since returning to the Miami Marlins.
Conley turned in his third consecutive strong outing Saturday with 72/3 strong innings to provide the impetus for a 7-3 victory against the Cincinnati Reds. Christian Yelich gave him a lead to work with on a three-run home run, his 12th.
The win was the third of the series and fourth consecutive overall for the Marlins, matching a season high. It lifted them to within four games of .500 for the first time since they were 13-17 on May 7, just before losing lost 10 of the next 11.
That tailspin began with Conley giving up seven runs in 32/3 innings against the Cardinals and getting banished to the minors.
Conley, more together since his return, finished one out shy of matching his longest career outing (eight shutout innings against the Braves, June 22, 2016). He gave up solo homers to Joey Votto and Adam Duvall, but only three other hits, all singles.
In three starts since his return, Conley has limited opponents to four runs in 202/3 innings (1.74 ERA).
Notably, he has been much stingier with allowing walks than he was earlier in the season and even while at New Orleans _ only four over the three starts.
A rarer walk contributed to Saturday's success: the one Conley drew at bat against Reds starter Tim Adleman leading off the fifth inning.
He had only worked one free pass once in 79 previous plate appearances in his career. This one set up a big inning that gave him some breathing room on the mound.
With Adleman refocused on throwing strikes, the Marlins turned his next two pitches into two runs: Dee Gordon lined his third hit of the game to left and Giancarlo Stanton scorched a double to right-center that rocketed off the bat at 114.6 mph.
Two batters later Marcell Ozuna drove Stanton home on another resounding double to center that chased Adleman. Ozuna doubled again in the seventh and scored on J.T. Realmuto's single.
Then it was just a question of how long Conley could go. He started the eighth by allowing an infield single to Billy Hamilton, but erased it when Eugenio Suarez sharply into a double play.
A bloop hit by Votto ended Conley's night after 1-3 pitches (70 strikes). He received an appreciative ovation for an efficient outing (seven strikeouts, two walks).
Yelich was 1 for 9 on the homestand before he launched a two-strike fastball 403 feet the opposite way over the wall to the left of the home run sculpture.
Coincidentally, Yelich mentioned in the clubhouse before the game that he'd only hit one homer at Marlins Park to the opposite field. His first career homer went to left field at Pittsburgh's PNC Park in 2013. It was only the ninth of 53 in his career that have gone out to the left of center.
Conley allowed only the homer to Votto in the first three innings, a 425-foot smash to center on a belt-high fastball over the plate. It wasn't the sort of offering to begin an at-bat against Votto, who leads the majors with 10 first-pitch homers this season.
But Conley quickly sharpened his approach and struck out the next three batters. He didn't allow another hit until Duvall took him deep to left field, the Cincinnati cleanup hitter's second homer of the series.
Conley's command faltered briefly in the sixth when he hit a batter and walked another. It was one of two instances the Reds advanced a runner into scoring position with two outs. Both times Conley got the inning-ending outs he needed.
