MIAMI -- Dan Strailys quality start was not good enough to beat Jose Fernandez and the Miami Marlins.Straily allowed three runs in six innings for the Cincinnati Reds in a 3-1 loss to the Marlins on Friday night to begin the final series before the All-Star break.On another day that could have been a game we won if we could have got anything going offensively, Reds manager Bryan Price said.Straily (4-6) allowed six hits and two walks. He struck out two.I thought I pitched well but not good enough, Straily said. Certain nights you have to go out there and win a ballgame 1-0. I wasnt able to get that done tonight.Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips left after being hit by a pitch on the left hand in the seventh inning. X-rays revealed a hairline fracture.It wasnt good enough to stay in the game, Price said. It was real sore. Well have to see where he is tomorrow with a lot of ice and time to sleep and get the swelling down.Fernandez (11-4) bounced back from allowing a career-high nine runs, six earned, in a loss at Atlanta to allow one unearned run in seven innings for the Marlins.Obviously there was a lot of things to work on from last start and a lot of adjustments to be made, Fernandez said. I think we made a couple, but theres still a lot of work to be done.Fernandez struck out eight and did not walk a batter while allowing six hits to lower his first-half ERA to 2.52. The Reds scored the unearned run with two errors committed by Marlins outfielders.Its a different element when you can strike people out, Price said. When he needed a strikeout he was able to go get it. He has a different gear when he needs an out. Thats what makes great pitchers special.Christian Yelich homered and drove in two runs and Derek Dietrich also knocked in a run for the Marlins, who returned home after a 3-6 road trip.Miamis All-Star relievers both pitched one inning, Fernando Rodney in the eighth and A.J.Ramos in the ninth for his 26th save in 27 chances.The game took only 2 hours and 16 minutes.Thats pretty good, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. That will help our pace of play report when it comes out.The win assured the Marlins (45-41) of a winning record in the first half for the first time since 2009 when they went 46-44 before the break.I know everybody is excited, but were four games over and four games over is not going to get it done, Mattingly said. Weve got a ways to go. Were getting better. Were capable of more. Weve got a lot of talent here and this second half should be fun. If we play the type of baseball were capable of, weve got a chance to do something special.Yelichs RBI double in the first gave the Marlins the lead.Adam Duvalls single tied the game in the top of the fourth before Dietrichs base hit put the Marlins ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the inning.Yelich hit a solo homer in the sixth for a 3-1 lead. It was his seventh of the season after hitting seven in 126 games last season.MARLINS DROP FIFTH STARTERMiami optioned starting pitcher Justin Nicolino to Triple-A New Orleans on Friday and recalled catcher Tomas Telis with the plan of going with a four-man rotation until a fifth starter would be needed on July 19, at Philadelphia.Nicolino, who is 2-5 with a 5.57 ERA in 12 starts this season, might not get the nod against the Phillies.Were looking for the best alternative, Mattingly said. Were not committed to Nico getting the next start. We dont have to make that decision right now.TRAINERS ROOMReds: CF Billy Hamilton (right knee) made a leaping catch up against the center-field wall in the fifth inning, but stayed in the game and had ice on his knee after the game. Its fine and everything should be good, Hamilton said. ... RHP Homer Bailey (right elbow) made his third rehab start on Thursday and will make at least two more before returning to the big league club. It sounds like he felt pretty good, threw the ball over the plate, gave up a few hits and a couple of runs, but thats a distant second to how he felt, Price said. It sounds like things are getting better.UP NEXTReds: LHP John Lamb (1-5, 5.43 ERA) will start Saturdays game against the Marlins after allowing eight runs over 4 1/3 innings in his last start at Washington.Marlins: LHP Adam Conley (5-5, 3.65) will take the mound looking to continue his positive stretch, which includes a 2-1 mark and 2.25 ERA over his past four starts. Clay Matthews Super Bowl Jersey . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. Tramon Williams Super Bowl Jersey . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. http://www.shoptheofficialpackers.com/Elite-Jaire-Alexander-Packers-Jersey/ .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Kevin King Super Bowl Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. JK Scott Super Bowl Jersey . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. MADRID -- Barcelonas chances of winning the Spanish league this season could be determined by whether Andres Iniesta is fit to play in Saturdays clasico against Real Madrid.Having Iniesta available this weekend at Camp Nou could make the difference between clinching a third straight title or seeing Madrid snap a four-year winless drought.Barcelona has been struggling without the midfielder, and another setback could leave the team nine points behind and in a difficult position to fight for the title.Iniesta has been sidelined since injuring a right-knee ligament on Oct. 22. Doctors said he would be out 6-8 weeks, but the recovery process has been going well and Barcelona coach Luis Enrique expects the midfielder to play.We are waiting for Iniesta to be cleared, Luis Enrique said earlier this week. It should be more or less a formality, he has been practicing with us and is in good condition. We are waiting to confirm, but he should be available.Had it been any other match, the midfielder would likely be rested to avoid aggravating the injury, but Luis Enrique may not be in position to afford himself that luxury this time.All of Barcelonas four losses this season came without Iniesta in the starting lineup -- to Alaves, Celta Vigo, Espanyol and Manchester City. The 32-year-old Iniesta also wasnt with the team in recent league draws against Malaga at hom
