Home is where the start is: Jose Fernandez continues dominance in Miami

MIAMI -- Dorothy popularized the adage "There's no place like home."

The same goes for Miami Marlins right-hander Jose Fernandez, whose historic streak at Marlins Park continued Thursday night.

Fernandez pitched seven scoreless innings as the Marlins beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 to open a four-game series before the All-Star break.

Fernandez improved to 14-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 22 starts in Miami, becoming the third pitcher since 1900 to win each of his first 14 decisions at home, according to Elias. Via Stats LLC, his stretch is the longest since 1914.

"He loves Miami," manager Dan Jennings said. "That's all I can say. It's fun to watch him here. There's a little bit of an aura around him when he pitches at home. I think the fans feel it as well. The way he goes out there some of it may be the ballpark, but he gets out and every night he takes the ball you feel very good about his chances to win the game. He's got that ability."

In his second outing back from Tommy John surgery, 10 family members, included his mother and grandmother, were in the stands. On a weeknight in the middle of July, the Marlins announced 25,027 fans in attendance.

Fernandez admitted that he sometimes notices kids laughing and chanting his name during games. Their support makes him appreciate being out there and seeing them smile.

"That's the best part having my family there," Fernandez said. "I'm lucky and blessed."

The 22-year-old ace scattered six hits with nine strikeouts and no walks. He fanned batters on his fastball six times. Of his 93 pitches, 71 went for strikes. An inning-ending double play helped him preserve the shutout in the seventh -- the only time a pair of runners reached in the same frame.

Catcher Jeff Mathis said Fernandez's slider contained more depth to it. The same for his changeup. Fernandez got All-Star Todd Frazier on a nasty 83 mph curveball to end the sixth.

"That's key for any guy that goes out there, getting ahead," Mathis said. "You're able to use all your stuff. Working ahead throughout the lineup is key, keeping guys off base. It does make our job easier back there when guys are doing that."

Following the outing, Fernandez was quick to deflect praise and instead credited his teammates for the win.

Still, it's a simple formula. His dominance helps the ballclub. The Marlins hold a 25-13 record with Fernandez on the mound since 2013. As he put it, "big picture here, we got a win today."

Though emotions might've gotten the better of him during the two-run first inning of his 2015 debut last Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, he held them more in check Thursday.

"Looks like it," Fernandez said. "I don't know. I'm trying to go out there whenever I get the ball to do what I love and give my team a chance to win. That's all I can do."

After dropping four of five against the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox on their recent roadtrip, the Marlins desperately needed to get back on track being 15 games below .500.

Miami missed that the first three months of the season. That ace who stops the bleeding, prevents that losing skid from getting worse. The Marlins have had stretches of at least four defeats in a row four times, including a season-long eight straight in mid-May.

"True No. 1s are that," Jennings said. "They're streak stoppers. Jose definitely has that ability. We have other guys in there that have that ability. We needed a win after losing four on that roadtrip and a couple of them we felt like we had that we let slip away. But when you have a true No. 1 like that he can step up and he's able to slam the door and turn the tide. Now we have to ride this momentum and hand the baton to the next starter."

You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.