Florida-born right-hander Bronson Arroyo faces the closest major-league team to his hometown tonight when the Cincinnati Reds visit the Miami Marlins to open a three-game series at Marlins Park.
Now 35 years old, Arroyo was born in Florida's southernmost city of Key West and began his pro career when he was drafted as an 18-year-old by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1995.
He reached the majors with the Pirates in 2000, spent three seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 2003-05 and has been with Cincinnati since 2006 after an offseason trade for outfielder Wily Mo Pena.
Arroyo won a career-high 17 games with the Reds in 2010 and posted a 3.88 earned run average in 215 2/3 innings while allowing a .234 opposition batting average across 33 starts.
He was 4-6 through his initial 18 starts this season before catching fire and has since won eight of nine decisions across his last 10 outings while trimming his earned run average to a season-low 3.66.
In his last start, on Sept. 8, he allowed seven hits and a run in seven innings of a 5-1 win against the Houston Astros.
Lifetime against the Marlins, he's 8-5 in 16 starts with a 3.34 ERA.
Miami replies with 21-year-old righty Jacob Turner, who makes his fourth National League start since a July 23 trade with Detroit.
The ninth overall pick in the 2009 draft was 0-1 in three starts with the Tigers last season and 1-1 in three starts this year, posting an 8.03 ERA across 12 1/3 innings before the deal.
He's lost two decisions in three outings with the Marlins, giving up 14 hits and 10 runs in 17 innings while allowing a composite .219 batting average and striking out 14 batters with one walk.
He has never faced the Reds.
On Wednesday in Cincinnati, Scott Rolen's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning proved to be the difference as the NL Central-leading Reds held off the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1, to complete a three-game sweep.
Wilson Valdez had an RBI for the Reds, who went 5-4 on a nine-game homestand.
Homer Bailey (11-9) gave up one run on six hits over seven innings to pick up the win. J.J. Hoover pitched a scoreless ninth to record his first save in the big leagues.
In Philadelphia, Jimmy Rollins' two-run homer in the seventh inning was the difference maker, as the Phillies finished off a three-game sweep of the Marlins with a 3-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park.
Miami first baseman Carlos Lee drove in the lone run for the Marlins, who have lost four of their last five games.
"I was effectively wild for the first 3-4 innings," said Josh Johnson (8-12), who took the loss for Miami after allowing three runs over his final two frames of work.
Johnson struck out six and walked three, giving up four hits in seven innings pitched.
The Reds won two of three from Miami when the teams played their only previous series of 2012 from April 5-8 in Cincinnati. The Marlins and Reds split six games last season.
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