MLB Opening Day 2012: Cincinnati Reds Impressive vs. Miami Marlins

The Cincinnati Reds kicked off their 2012 season in impressive fashion against the overhauled Miami Marlins.

Johnny Cueto got the nod against Mark Buehrle and was absolutely lights out, with a final stat line of 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB and 4 K, picking up his first victory of the season.

Cueto was incredibly efficient on the mound, throwing 64 percent of his pitches for strikes.

Cueto was relieved in the eighth by fan favorite Aroldis Chapman, who continued the dominance he showed in the spring going one inning with two strikeouts and no hits on 70 percent strikes.

Marshall followed Chapman in the final inning, and if there were any doubts about whether he could close, he silenced them tonight.

Marshall mowed through the middle of the Marlins lineup, striking out Emilio Bonifacio, forcing Hanley Ramirez to hit a weak grounder back to him, and striking out power hitter Giancarlo Stanton. Marshall threw just 11 pitches (seven strikes) and retired three very talented hitters.

The Reds offense was just as good as advertised. Jay Bruce led the charge going 1-3 with a solo HR in the bottom of the eighth and a sac fly in the first.

Recently extended, Joey Votto looked good in the opener going 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Without any trade rumors or contract negotiations looming over his head, Votto can relax and enjoy the type of success he's become accustomed to over the last few seasons.

Brandon Phillips, though he only went 1-4, had one of the team's more impressive games in my opinion. In his five plate appearances, Phillips went 1-4 with a walk and a strikeout. Phillips certainly showed everything necessary to be a successful leadoff hitter in 2012, and saw 33 pitches over his five plate appearances.

Scott Rolen returned for the 2012 season looking as good as he has in a long time. Aside from an error on an Emilio Bonifacio bunt, Rolen played a great third base (as always). He made a wonderful play to retire Gabby Sanchez in the second inning. Rolen also chipped in offensively, going 1-3 with a run scored, a double and a HBP.

One thing I hope you all noticed was Chris Heisey's pinch-hitting appearance in the eighth inning. Heisey came up with two outs and Drew Stubbs standing on first base, and doubled to deep-right center field to score Stubbs and put the final nail in the Marlins' coffin.

The Reds got to Mark Buehrle early this afternoon, but the offense was relatively quiet until Scott Rolen led off the bottom of the sixth with a double. Rolen was later driven in by a one-out Ryan Ludwick double.

If there's one thing we know about this Reds team, they can hit. They ranked second in the NL last season in runs scored, behind the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals. If this first game is any indication, the Reds will score plenty of runs this year.

The pitching tonight was fantastic and between Cueto, Chapman and Marshall, the Marlins could only manage three hits while striking out eight times and walking just twice. They did a great job keeping runners off base. Even when a few Marlins made it on, they were stranded, picked off or caught stealing. The final result was a 4-0 victory.

All in all, this was a great game for the Reds. Game two of the series takes place Saturday at 7:10 PM Eastern, and features a pitching matchup between newcomer Mat Latos and old division rival Carlos Zambrano.