Markakis powers Braves past Marlins
ATLANTA — R.A. Dickey won for the first time in seven starts, Nick Markakis hit a three-run homer and the Atlanta Braves overcame Giancarlo Stanton’s two home runs to beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Friday night.
Stanton hit his 34th and 35th homers, tying Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for most in the major leagues, to give the Marlins a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning. Markakis took Adam Conley (4-4) deep in the bottom half of the inning to make it 4-3 favoring the Braves.
Markakis has batted .444 since July 26.
Dickey (7-7) allowed three hits, three runs and one walk and struck out three in six innings. The 42-year-old knuckleballer has pitched well lately, going 3-2 with a 2.22 ERA in nine starts since losing 10-5 at Washington on June 13.
Stanton crushed his first homer into the tunnel past the wall in center field to make it 1-all in the fourth. He followed with a two-run shot in the sixth to put Miami up 3-1.
Stanton has eight multi-homer games this season and 26 in his career. He is hitting .288 with 24 homers and 47 RBIs in 60 games since moving to the No. 2 spot in the batting order.
Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino faced five batters in the ninth to earn his fourth save in six chances.
Conley gave up five hits, one walk and four runs — three earned — in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out two.
The Braves led 1-0 in the first when second baseman Dee Gordon misplayed a Markakis grounder and allowed Brandon Phillips to score from second.
Miami had won nine of 13 games and was trying to get up to three games under .500 for the first time since May 4. The Braves added an insurance run in the seventh when pinch-hitter Lane Adams advanced to third on Jarlin Garcia’s wild pitch and scored on Phillips’ single.
Before the game, Braves right-handed pitcher Jason Motte was reinstated from the disabled list after missing the past 19 games with a back strain, and left-hander Ian Krol was placed on the 10-day DL with a left oblique strain.
Atlanta righty Jose Ramirez pitched a scoreless inning in the seventh and has a 0.64 ERA in his last 15 appearances.
The Marlins have won four straight series, while Atlanta is 0-4-1 in series play since sweeping Arizona last month.