By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer

CINCINNATI(AP) -- A rookie pitcher with a bum finger and no career
wins kept the Florida Marlins running in place.

Emergency starter Matt Maloney gritted it out for five innings
to get his first big league victory Thursday night, leading the
Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 victory that cost the Marlins a chance
to gain ground in the NL wild-card chase.

The Marlins remained 4 1/2 games behind Colorado and a game
behind San Francisco, both of whom were off. They couldn't break
their extended slump at Great American Ball Park, where they've
dropped nine in a row.

Whenever they come to Cincinnati, things never quite add up.
They fell behind 3-0 in the first inning and never made up the
ground in the NL's most hitter-friendly ballpark.

"It held up," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "You figure with the
way we're swinging the bats and the ballpark, it wouldn't."

It did, and a lot of it had to do with their inability to get to
Maloney (1-4), who couldn't throw all his pitches because of a
sore finger. The 25-year-old rookie was forced from a game on
Sept. 8 because of a blister on the middle finger of his left
hand, and hasn't fully recovered.

When scheduled starter Johnny Cueto got sick on Wednesday, the
Reds decided to let Maloney give it a try. Maloney avoided
throwing his cut fastball because it bothered his finger,
staying with the softer stuff.

"It was sore, but I was able to get through it for the most
part," Maloney said. "My sinker was good. I used it a lot more
than I had the last couple starts."

Afterward, Maloney collected the lineup card and four balls from
the game as keepsakes.

Right-hander Anibal Sanchez (2-7) gave up a leadoff homer by
Darnell McDonald in the first, then let the Reds load the bases.
Jay Bruce, making his second start since returning from a broken
wrist, hit an opposite-field single for a 3-0 lead. Sanchez
threw 39 pitches in what turned out to be the decisive inning.

"I was just trying to hit (catcher Ronny) Paulino in the strike
zone," said Sanchez, who lasted five innings. "I wanted to try
to make them swing."

The Marlins wasted chances to catch up by stranding runners in
scoring position in the first, second, third and fifth innings.

"Rarely do you score three in the first like that and get no
more and end up winning," manager Dusty Baker said.

Chris Coghlan had four hits for the Marlins, including a pair of
doubles. The outfielder leads all NL rookies with 136 hits and
41 multihit games.

Hanley Ramirez, who is trying to become the Marlins' first NL
batting champion, went 1 for 4 with a run-scoring single,
dropping his average a point to .356. Ramirez became the ninth
Marlin to drive in 100 runs in a season and the first since
Miguel Cabrera in 2007. He's the second Marlin to drive in 100
and steal 20 - Preston Wilson had 36 steals and a club-record
121 RBIs in 2000.

Dan Uggla also doubled home a run off Maloney, extending his
hitting streak to a season-high nine games. Florida failed to
score off four Reds relievers. Francisco Cordero pitched a
perfect ninth for his 38th save in 41 chances.

The Marlins have lingered in the wild-card race by winning 10 of
their last 15. They've struggled against the Reds, losing 11 of
their last 14 since 2007.

The Reds sold only 9,685 tickets for the game, the
second-smallest gate in Great American Ball Park's seven-year
history. The smallest was 9,087 for the second game of a
day-night doubleheader against Pittsburgh on Aug. 31.

NOTES: Marlins CF Cody Ross went hitless, ending his hitting
streak at 11 games. ... Reds OF Jonny Gomes gave Dayton Daily
News writer Hal McCoy the bat he used for his 20th homer on
Wednesday, the night McCoy was honored by the team for his
retirement. ... Reds RHP Aaron Harang bought a souped-up golf
cart as a gift to clubhouse attendants, to help them transport
equipment and players around the ballpark.