MIAMI _ These are the games that can haunt a team with playoff aspirations.
Facing a last-place team that had a struggling pitcher on the mound, the Miami Marlins reacted Saturday as if they were up against the next Koufax.
John Lamb had given no indication of being that in going 2-10 in the first 22 starts of his career.
It took Miami starter Adam Conley, with one hit to his credit all season, to spark a two-out rally with an infield single that helped boost the Marlins to a series-clinching 4-2 victory at Marlins Park.
Conley (6-5) did his part on the mound too, limiting the Reds to two runs and four hits in 52/3 innings.
Four relievers blanked the Red over the final 31/3 innings. A.J. Ramos notched his second save of the series, No. 27 in 28 tries this season.
In a showdown of All-Stars, Fernando Rodney struck out Adam Duvall with a runner on second to end the eighth. Duvall hit his 23rd home run earlier in the game off Conley.
It wasn't until Conley rapped his hit off Lamb's glove with two outs in the fifth that the Marlins began to make headway against the left-hander, who gave up a career-high eight runs in his previous outing. The hit was Conley's second this season in 31 at-bats (.065).
J.T. Realmuto followed with a solid single, and Martin Prado lofted a deep fly to right that eluded Jay Bruce for a two-run double to put Miami ahead 3-2 with what proved to be the decisive hit.
Prado had three hits, including two doubles, while Realmuto had two hits and scored twice.
Giancarlo Stanton drove in an insurance run with a broken-bat single in the eighth.
Conley was lifted after retiring the first two Reds in the sixth as manager Don Mattingly elected to put the game in the hands of his bullpen. David Phelps came on to strike out the dangerous Duvall looking on a full count.
Center fielder Marcell Ozuna, who learned earlier in the day that he will start in the All-Star Game due to two outfielders pulling out with injuries, made a superb throw to cut down Brandon Phillips at third in the seventh inning. The initial call was safe, but was overturned on a replay challenge that took 1:18.
The play looked larger after pinch-hitter Ivan De Jesus followed with a double off Phelps. Kyle Barraclough came on to get Zack Cozart on a grounder to leave runners at second and third.
Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria also helped with a leaping grab of a line drive in the ninth.
The Reds had gone ahead in the fourth when Phillips served a soft single the opposite way to score Bruce. Conley avoided further trouble by striking out Duvall on a breaking ball in their second meeting of the day.
Duvall, who will compete along with Stanton in Monday's Home Run Derby in San Diego, had lined a similar pitch into the visitors' bullpen in left for his 23rd homer in the second inning.
That wiped out an early Marlins advantage that was achieved with some breaks in the first inning. After Realmuto's leadoff single, Prado's grounder to the left side deflected off the glove of third baseman Eugenio Suarez and into shallow left field far enough for Prado to leg it out for a double.
Realmuto scored on a passed ball. But Prado was left at third when Christian Yelich and Stanton struck out and Ozuna popped out.
Lamb (1-6) allowed three runs but only two were earned due to the passed ball. He struck out a career-high nine in five innings.
