MIAMI _ Giancarlo Stanton served notice. He is ready for the Home Run Derby.
The slugging right fielder smashed a no-doubt two-run homer to left in the fifth inning Sunday that propelled the Marlins to a 7-3 victory, completing a three-game sweep against the Reds.
Stanton's 20th homer, which reverberated like a firework inside Marlins Park, was estimated at 424 feet. His fifth homer in five games came off 1-2 slider Cody Reed.
On Monday, Stanton will be teeing off on friendly tosses from Marlins administrative coach Pat Shine at Petco Park in San Diego. He has been installed as the favorite by Bovada Sportsbook at 13-to-4 in the competition, which will be on ESPN. Stanton will face Robinson Cano in the first round.
The win gave Miami its second-best winning percentage at the All-Star break at .534 (47-41), behind the 1997 team that was 50-36 (.581) at the break.
This is the ninth time the Marlins have finished the first half of a season above .500 for the ninth time, the first since 2009 (46-44, .511).
The bullpen put the hammer down over the final five innings, holding the Reds to two hits.
Mike Dunn started the run of shutdown innings by the relief corps with a 1-2-3 fifth in his 369th appearance for the Marlins. That moved the left-hander past Braden Looper for the club record. Dunn was rewarded with his first win of the season.
Nick Wittgren turned in two scoreless innings, and Kyle Barraclough and Dustin McGowan one apiece.
The comfortable lead enabled manager Don Mattingly to avoid using All-Star relievers Fernando Rodney and A.J. Ramos.
Until Stanton's homer, the Marlins had been mostly confounded for the second consecutive day by a struggling Reds left-hander. Reed came in with a 9.00 ERA in four previous starts.
Stanton's blast got his teammates going, and they busted it open with three more runs in the sixth. J.T. Realmuto delivered a two-out, run-scoring hit, and Christian Yelich did likewise after a walk to Martin Prado.
Two runs came home on Yelich's hit as Prado was waived home after an errant throw from center fielder Billy Hamilton into the Marlins' dugout.
Marlins starter Tom Koehler lasted only four innings in a rocky outing in which he gave up seven hits and three runs, but it could have been more.
All-Star center fielder Marcell Ozuna prevented a run when he threw out Brandon Phillips for the second consecutive day. Saturday it was at third base, this time at the plate trying to score from second on Tucker Barnhart's single.
Phillips had given the Reds a 3-2 lead with a two-run double, part of a barrage of five consecutive hits to open the fourth.
Koehler had retired eight consecutive batters after emerging from his usual first-inning blues.
The right-hander, who has a habit of digging an early hole for himself, got out of the first allowing one run and two hits. It took a diving grab of a line drive by Adeiny Hechavarria and Stanton hauling in Adam Duvall's deep drive to the wall in right to keep it there.
For the second consecutive day the Marlins took their first lead on a passed ball. This was an odd one as the pitch ricocheted off the right shin guard of Tucker Barnhart all the way to the Reds' dugout, enabling Hechavarria to dash home from second.
It was the first time the Marlins have ever had a runner score from second on a passed ball.
Hechavarria had tied the game with a single, driving in Miguel Rojas, who doubled into the right-field corner.
