MIAMI -- Jose Fernandez looked more like himself Friday night.Fernandez bounced back from allowing a career-high nine runs, six earned, in a loss at Atlanta to pitch seven innings allowing just an unearned run to help the Miami Marlins to a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds to begin the final series before the All-Star break.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 (11-4) struck out eight and did not walk a batter while allowing six hits, lowering 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, Reds manager Bryan 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.Dan Straily (4-6) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings for the Reds.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 the game 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.Yelichs RBI double in the first gave the Marlins the lead.To me Yelly is one of the best hitters in the game and hes starting to show it more and we still feel theres room for improvement with him, Mattingly said.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.Theres room for improvement I think for myself and as a team weve played well in the first half, but weve let a few get away, Yelich said. Its important to finish up this last series strong and take that momentum into the second half.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 wall in center field 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.Johnny Pesky Red Sox Jersey . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Tim Wakefield Red Sox Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. https://www.cheapredsox.com/181z-steven-wright-jersey-red-sox.html . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Hector Velazquez Red Sox Jersey . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. David Price Red Sox Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy.CHICAGO -- If Corey Crawford is feeling the pressure of being in his first Stanley Cup final, he isnt showing it. The Chicago Blackhawks goaltender cracked jokes about his glove hand and already seemed to be over his roughest start of these playoffs, when he was beaten five times on 33 shots by the Boston Bruins. He quipped that during the Western Conference final there was criticism of his blocker side so "both sides are bad, I guess." And even though a weakness was exposed, Crawfords confidence isnt shaken going into Game 5 Saturday night. "I think its something you have to learn from," Crawford said. "If that wouldve happened in junior, I think I wouldve been pretty deflated, and my confidence wouldve been pretty low. I think its something you build over time and something you learn from." It was no secret the Bruins kept shooting glove-side Wednesday, and the 26-year-old deflected the notion that he has a weakness that could derail Chicagos championship hopes. Crawford also acknowledged that adjustments might be necessary. Even this late in a run, its possible that he and goaltending coach Stephane Waite fix some mechanics before Crawford goes back in net. "Sometimes you need your goalie coach to look and see," Crawford said. "As a goalie, its tough sometimes to really know if youre fine, if theres nothing to change or if theres something to change. Sometimes you need that extra set of eyes to figure that out for you." His teammates tested him out at practice Friday. "I tried today and he stopped me glove side, so hopefully hes got it all figured out," left-winger Patrick Sharp said. "I dont know if that was the game plan or if thats something they did on purpose and they were successful at it, but I like Corey in there." So does coach Joel Quenneville, who insisted he was not considering replacing Crawford with backup Ray Emery, who hasnt played in almost two months. Crawford is the man for the Blackhawks. "In our room he hasnt taken any heat, so I dont know whats being said out there," defenceman Duncan Keith said. "You look at the job hes done all season for us, hes been great all year long. I thought we let in five, and they let in six. I mean, we won the game and well move on." Crawford moved on almost immediately. Rather than dissect how he gave up five goals in Game 4, he was "thrilled" about the victory and defenceman Brent Seabrooks game-winner. From the Bruins, there were plenty of denialss that they solved Crawford.dddddddddddd "I know were not skating down the ice thinking, Oh my God, if we dont go glove-side were not going to score. Nothing like that," forward Shawn Thornton said. "I think its just a bit of coincidence. Were trying to get pucks on net from everywhere and create traffic and wherever that rebound pops out, Im sure youre trying to put it in." That the Bruins put the puck in five times could make Crawford think a lot about last game. Instead, hes trying to keep excess worrying to a minimum. "Theres times when you think about a game more than others," he said. "But at this point, I really dont want to be thinking too much about the last game, whether it was good or bad." The last game wasnt good. But it was good enough to help Chicago tie the series at 2. Of course that did not mean Crawford was immune from criticism. "I think that the scrutiny of goaltending at any stage of the season is at a different level of any other player, and I guess its even more out there now that youre in the final," Quenneville said. "But Corey just seems to move forward whatever the challenge is, the next shot, the next game. Hes excited about the opportunity. Were excited about what he accomplished. He won a big game for us, and thats where were at." Crawford is there, too. Experience, he said, helped him realize that he cant let one bad performance affect his psyche. "Situations youve gone through -- a similar situation like that where you just collapse and you probably lose the game -- you just learn from that and dont feel like its the end of the world," he said. It could be the end of the line for the Blackhawks if the Bruins manage to light him up in the same fashion for the rest of the series. "I think you can score on other areas, hopefully, on Corey Crawford, than just the glove," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "At the end of the day youre looking to find ways to score goals, whether its cross passes, tips, screens or whatever, it doesnt really matter." As much as the Bruins had success beating Crawford in Game 4, one knows yet whether that will have a carry-over effect. "Thats the thing: Everyone thinks (theyre) going to shoot to the glove," Sharp said. "Its not like Corey can start cheating glove side, because those guys are such good shooters they can pick him apart. Who knows if thats a once-in-a-lifetime type of game of if theyve figured something out." ' ' '