WASHINGTON — The Miami Marlins scored two runs in the ninth inning to beat the Washington Nationals 6-4 on Sunday and secure a four-game sweep at Nationals Park.

The Marlins (70-67) won the first three games of the series 6-1 on Thursday, 8-5 in 11 innings on Friday and 11-5 on Saturday.

With the game tied 4-4 after eight innings, the Marlins got runners on first and second with one out in the ninth against Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan on singles from Luis Arraez and Jake Burger. Jazz Chisholm Jr. then hit a groundball that resulted in a forceout at second base but Washington shortstop CJ Abrams’ throw to first base for a potential double play was off target. Arraez scored the go-ahead run on the throwing error. Chisholm then stole second and scored on a Bryan De La Cruz bloop single to give Miami an insurance run.

Tanner Scott tossed a scoreless ninth inning for the save to back an eight-inning performance from Sandy Alcantara.

Miami scored its first three runs in the first inning on an Arraez home run and back-to-back bases-loaded walks from Jesus Sanchez and Jon Berti and tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth on a Nationals fielding error.

The four-game win streak is Miami’s longest since the All-Star Break.

And the series sweep did wonders to keep Miami’s playoff hopes alive. With the win Sunday,the Marlins found themselves tied with the Cincinnati Reds at just a half-game behind the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League’s third and final wild card spot through Sunday’s afternoon games.

Here are four takeaways from the four-game series.

Sandy Alcantara pitches deep

Alcantara kept his pitch count down and maneuvered through one rough inning to pitch eight innings on Sunday, holding the Nationals to four runs (two earned runs) despite scattering nine hits and issuing a pair of walks.

Lane Thomas hit a solo home run in the first inning and Washington tagged Alcantara for three runs in the fifth on an Alcantara throwing error, a Dominic Smith RBI double and RBI singles from Jacob Young and Thomas.

But Alcantara minimized the damage by getting three double plays from his infield. He threw no more than 20 pitches in any inning and had five in which he needed 12 or less to get three outs — including each of his final three innings after the three-run fifth.

Sunday marked the sixth time this season Alcantara has pitched at least eight innings in a game.

Luis Arraez heating up

Before the series against Washington (62-76) began, one had to go back to Aug. 13 for Arraez’s last multi-hit game. Opponents had held the Marlins’ All-Star second baseman to no more than one hit per game over 14 consecutive starts, dropping his batting average nearly 20 points in the process.

In four games against the Nationals, Arraez hit 10 for 18 (.556) with one home run, one double, three RBI and six runs scored. He had multiple hits all four games of the series, the first time he had a stretch of at least four consecutive multi-hit outings since he had five from June 3-7.

His MLB-leading batting average on the season is at .356 with 25 games left to play.

Slugging without Soler

The Marlins hit eight home runs and 14 total extra-base hits over the four-game series against the Nationals.

And all of it came without All-Star designated hitter Jorge Soler playing in a single game.

Soler, who leads Miami in home runs (35), RBI (71) and runs scored (70), has not played since leaving Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays with right hip tightness. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker has said Soler has been available off the bench but has not been used.

Even in his absence, Miami had home runs from Burger (three), Chisholm, Garrett Hampson, De La Cruz, Sanchez and Arraez in their series at Nationals Park. Those eight home runs accounted for 15 of the Marlins’ 31 runs over the past four games.

Another rough patch of schedule ahead

After an off day Monday, the Marlins will play 16 games in 16 days without a day off.

The first 13 of those games are against teams currently in the playoff field: Three at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers, three on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies, four on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers and three at home against the Atlanta Braves.

Miami needs to figure out a way to stay afloat during this stretch before it closes out the season with nine of 12 games against teams out of postseason contention (six against the New York Mets and three against the Pittsburgh Pirates with another three against the Brewers in there as well).

©2023 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Copyright 2023 Tribune Content Agency.

The post Marlins rally in ninth to safe four-game sweep vs Nationals. Takeaways from the sequence | Baseball appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Different day, same results in the Pacific Northwest.

The Miami Marlins lost their second straight game to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, with a 9-3 loss at T-Mobile Park a day after losing 8-1 in Monday’s series opener.

It’s the first time the Marlins have lost two straight games since losing three straight games (one game to the San Francisco Giants, two games to the Colorado Rockies) on May 21-23.

And the Marlins (37-31) followed a similar scenario in losing both days.

The starting pitcher had problems. Edward Cabrera gave up five runs on two homers Tuesday — a three-run shot in the second inning by Cal Raleigh (who was 0 at that hit in his last 21 shots) and a two-run shot in the fourth by Mike Ford — to throw Miami into an early crisis. He only threw four innings.

This came a day after Jesus Luzardo gave up six runs (five of them earned) while throwing just four innings.

The offensive could not convince against a pitcher who mainly throws fastballs. Bryce Miller threw fastballs on 65 of his 89 pitches Monday and kept the Marlins on a one-hit run (a Nick Fortes home run) for six innings.

George Kirby hit fastballs on 69 of his 92 pitches Tuesday and kept the Marlins on an unearned run with three hits while hitting 10 in six innings. Miami’s only run against Kirby came when Jorge Soler’s two-out single hit midway through Garrett Hampson, who grabbed with a one-out single and took second place with a pass.

Garrett Cooper hit a two-run home run against Seattle relief Chris Flexen in the eighth, bringing Miami 8-3.

The bullpen had to eat innings. The Marlins needed four innings from their bullpen both nights and required relievers to run multiple innings to prevent using their primary high-leverage players in situations that didn’t require them.

Huascar Brazoban and Bryan Hoeing both went through two innings Monday and each kept Seattle (33-33) ahead by just a solo home run.

Veteran Archie Bradley, whom the Marlins added to the active roster Tuesday, threw a scoreless fifth inning on Tuesday before allowing all four batters he faced in the sixth to reach base, topped by a three-run Treble by Jose Caballero. Steven Okert then threw two shutout innings before JT Chargois made the eighth pitch and conceded a solo home run to Ford.

Luis Arraez batting average update

Luis Arraez, the Marlins’ second baseman, went 0 for 5 and went without a hit in consecutive games.

It’s the first time since May 10 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and May 12 against the Cincinnati Reds that he has gone without a hit in back-to-back starts.

Arraez’s batting average, down from .403 on Wednesday, is now down to .382.

The post Miami Marlins as soon as once more blown out by Seattle Mariners appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Miami Marlins (24-22, 2nd in NL East) vs. San Francisco Giants (21-24, 3rd in NL West) San Francisco;…

Miami Marlins (24-22, 2nd in NL East) vs. San Francisco Giants (21-24, 3rd in NL West)

San Francisco; Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABILITY: Marlins: Jesus Luzardo (3-2, 3.16 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 55 strikeouts); Giants: Alex Wood (0-0, 2.87 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 16 strikeouts)

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -128, Marlins +108; Over/Under is 8 runs

SUMMARY: The San Francisco Giants and Miami Marlins meet on Sunday, the three-game series ends in a 1-1 draw.

San Francisco is 21-24 overall and 14-11 at home. The Giants have the eighth team ERA in the NL at 4.38.

Miami has a 10-11 record away from home and a 24-22 overall record. The Marlins have a 17-4 record in games where they hit more than their opponents.

Sunday’s game is the teams’ sixth meeting of the season. The Marlins have a 3-2 lead in the season series.

TOP PERFORMER: Michael Conforto is sixth in the Giants with 10 extra base hits (two doubles and eight homers). Joc Pederson is 4 of 21 with a double, two homers and five RBI in his last 10 games.

Jorge Soler leads Miami with 11 homers while hitting .491. Bryan De La Cruz is on 15-of-38 with three home runs and eight RBIs in his last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Giants: 5-5, .234 batting average, 3.83 ERA, beat by two runs

Marlins: 7-3, .248 batting average, 3.34 ERA, seven runs better than opponents

INJURIES: Giants: Ross Stripling: 15-day IL (back), Joey Bart: 10-day IL (groin), Heliot Ramos: 60-day IL (oblique), Joc Pederson: 10-day IL (hand ), Anthony DeSclafani: Day-to-Day (Toe), Austin Slater: 10-Day IL (Thigh), Roberto Perez: 60-Day IL (Shoulder), Luke Jackson: 60-Day IL (Elbow), Thomas Szapucki: 60-day IL (left arm), Luis Gonzalez: 60-day IL (back)

Marlins: Jazz Chisholm: 10-day IL (toe), AJ Puk: 15-day IL (elbow), Jesus Sanchez: 10-day IL (thigh), Avisail Garcia: 10-day IL (back), Tommy Nance: 60-day IL (shoulder), Trevor Rogers: 15-day IL (forearm), Johnny Cueto: 15-day IL (biceps), Nic Enright: 60-day IL (illness), Max Meyer : 60 Day IL (Elbow) , Anthony Bender: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology and data provided by Sportradar by Data Skrive.

Copyright © 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

The post Giants and Marlins meet in sequence rubber match appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Miami Marlins (24-22, 2nd in NL East) vs. San Francisco Giants (21-24, 3rd in NL West)

San Francisco; Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABILITY: Marlins: Jesus Luzardo (3-2, 3.16 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 55 strikeouts); Giants: Alex Wood (0-0, 2.87 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 16 strikeouts)

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -128, Marlins +108; Over/Under is 8 runs

SUMMARY: The San Francisco Giants and Miami Marlins meet on Sunday, the three-game series ends in a 1-1 draw.

San Francisco is 21-24 overall and 14-11 at home. The Giants have the eighth team ERA in the NL at 4.38.

Miami has a 10-11 record away from home and a 24-22 overall record. The Marlins have a 17-4 record in games where they hit more than their opponents.

Sunday’s game is the teams’ sixth meeting of the season. The Marlins have a 3-2 lead in the season series.

TOP PERFORMER: Michael Conforto is sixth in the Giants with 10 extra base hits (two doubles and eight homers). Joc Pederson is 4 of 21 with a double, two homers and five RBI in his last 10 games.

Jorge Soler leads Miami with 11 homers while hitting .491. Bryan De La Cruz is on 15-of-38 with three home runs and eight RBIs in his last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Giants: 5-5, .234 batting average, 3.83 ERA, beat by two runs

Marlins: 7-3, .248 batting average, 3.34 ERA, seven runs better than opponents

INJURIES: Giants: Ross Stripling: 15-day IL (back), Joey Bart: 10-day IL (groin), Heliot Ramos: 60-day IL (oblique), Joc Pederson: 10-day IL (hand ), Anthony DeSclafani: Day-to-Day (Toe), Austin Slater: 10-Day IL (Thigh), Roberto Perez: 60-Day IL (Shoulder), Luke Jackson: 60-Day IL (Elbow), Thomas Szapucki: 60-day IL (left arm), Luis Gonzalez: 60-day IL (back)

Marlins: Jazz Chisholm: 10-day IL (toe), AJ Puk: 15-day IL (elbow), Jesus Sanchez: 10-day IL (thigh), Avisail Garcia: 10-day IL (back), Tommy Nance: 60-day IL (shoulder), Trevor Rogers: 15-day IL (forearm), Johnny Cueto: 15-day IL (biceps), Nic Enright: 60-day IL (illness), Max Meyer : 60 Day IL (Elbow) , Anthony Bender: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

The Associated Press created this story using technology and data provided by Sportradar by Data Skrive.

© Data Script. All rights reserved.

The post Giants and Marlins meet in sequence rubber match | Baseball appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 20: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants plays against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Oracle Park on May 20, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Bailey scored his first major league hit on Saturday, a single-to-right field that breathed some life into the Giants’ previously dormant offense against the Miami Marlins with two outs in the eighth inning.

But after a colorful single from Bryce Johnson brought Bailey to second base, Thairo Estrada landed at third base to end the brief threat.

It was one of only two opportunities for the Giants, whose runners were in goal position, whose offense fell in a 1-0 loss to the Marlins in front of an announced crowd of 31,993 at Oracle Park.

Estrada scored the only other goal for the Giants, whose four-game winning streak was cut short by being out for the fifth time this season.

The Marlins took the lead in the eighth inning when a mistake by JD Davis at third base on a groundball allowed Garrett Hampson to get on board. After a sacrifice by Xavier Edwards put Hampson in second place, a lone hit by Giants replacement Tyler Rogers scored for Hampson to the game’s only run.

Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett stunned the Giants, who failed to get a base runner in four straight innings before Davis leveled first in the seventh inning via a catcher interference call to Miami’s Nick Fortes. However, Mitch Haniger then managed a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Giants star Logan Webb walked away without a decision after throwing six innings of shutout, making seven strikeouts and allowing four hits.

Webb threw 91 pitches before being replaced by Jakob Junis. Bailey started his first major league game on Saturday and it wasn’t long before he and Webb Hunter were capitalizing on Wendelstedt’s penchant for outside shots. In three innings, Webb successfully used the outside half of the plate to record four of his five strikeouts.

Webb has been rolling for over a month. Before Saturday, Webb had a 2.04 ERA in his last five starts with just eight earned runs allowed in 35 innings. During that time, he allowed 29 hits and eight walks with 30 strikeouts.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler had no qualms about how Webb and Bailey might fit together. The two worked together in spring training, and Kapler said Bailey has been in “contact” with almost every member of the Giants’ pitching team.

“And that’s intentional,” said Kapler before the game on Saturday. “We want all of our catchers that we suspect will show up in the major leagues to be comfortable with the pitchers when they show up. So we stagger the bullpens to give every catcher a chance to catch every pitcher. We try to do the same with game promotions and spring training.

“It doesn’t give you the highest level of intimacy, but it gives you a good one.”

Bailey expects to start a few more times in the future after Joey Bart was put on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a Grade 1 groin strain, an issue that came up in Wednesday’s Giants game against Philadelphia occurred.

“Part of the reason we were confident about getting Pat into the big leagues is because he’s pretty familiar with our pitching team,” Kapler said. “He’s ready for it. It’s not like he’s trying to learn pitchers on the fly, which happens sometimes.”

The post Braxton Garrett, Miami Marlins high San Francisco Giants appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Miami Marlins (23-22, 2nd in NL East) vs. San Francisco Giants (21-23, 3rd in NL West)

San Francisco; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABILITY: Marlins: Braxton Garrett (1-2, 5.40 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 36 strikeouts); Giants: Logan Webb (3-5, 3.66 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 58 strikeouts)

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -167, Marlins +142; Over/under is 7 1/2 runs

SUMMARY: The San Francisco Giants host the Miami Marlins, who are looking to continue their four-game winning streak at home.

San Francisco is 21-23 overall and 14-10 at home. The Giants have the team’s 10th-ranked on-base percentage in the Netherlands at .319.

Miami has an away record of 9-11 and an overall record of 23-22. The Marlins’ batsmen batted an aggregate effort of .249, which ranks eighth in the Netherlands.

Saturday’s game is the teams’ fifth meeting of the season. The season series is tied 2-2.

TOP PERFORMER: Michael Conforto leads San Francisco with eight homers while hitting .410. Casey Schmitt has 16 of 40 with two homers and eight RBI in his last 10 games.

Jorge Soler leads the Marlins with 20 extra base hits (nine doubles and 11 home runs). Bryan De La Cruz has 15 of 40 with five doubles, three homers and eight RBIs in his last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Giants: 6-4, .251 batting average, 3.93 ERA, outperformed opponents by two runs

Marlins: 6-4, .257 batting average, 3.89 ERA, outperformed opponents by three runs

INJURIES: Giants: Ross Stripling: 15-day IL (back), Joey Bart: 10-day IL (groin), Heliot Ramos: 60-day IL (oblique), Joc Pederson: 10-day IL (hand ), Anthony DeSclafani: Day-to-Day (Toe), Austin Slater: 10-Day IL (Thigh), Roberto Perez: 60-Day IL (Shoulder), Luke Jackson: 60-Day IL (Elbow), Thomas Szapucki: 60-day IL (left arm), Luis Gonzalez: 60-day IL (back)

Marlins: Jazz Chisholm: 10-day IL (toe), AJ Puk: 15-day IL (elbow), Jesus Sanchez: 10-day IL (thigh), Avisail Garcia: 10-day IL (back), Tommy Nance: 60-day IL (shoulder), Trevor Rogers: 15-day IL (forearm), Johnny Cueto: 15-day IL (biceps), Nic Enright: 60-day IL (illness), Max Meyer : 60 Day IL (Elbow) , Anthony Bender: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

The Associated Press created this story using technology and data provided by Sportradar by Data Skrive.

© Data Script. All rights reserved.

The post Giants host the Marlins on 4-game dwelling win streak | Baseball appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.