Marlins show power
Miami outslugs Oakland, 11-6, for series sweep.
MIAMI — How’s this for a homestand? Two games, two wins, 21hours.
That sums up the first half of the Miami Marlins’ unusual week, which included an 11-6 win over the Oakland Athletics at Marlins Park on Wednesday afternoon. It was the back half of a two-game series with the A’s, whom the Marlins swept, sandwiched between off days on Monday and today.
Up next, the Marlins will fly to Atlanta this evening before playing the Braves on Friday, Miami’s first trip to the new SunTrust Park.
Starring during the quick stint in South Florida was an offense rolling as well as it has all season. After an early four-run hole, Miami outscored Oakland 11-2 after the first inning and a half to improve to 12-5 over the past two and a half weeks.
That’s a drastic departure from a month ago, when even four runs in a game was difficult to come by for the Marlins.
“There were times last month when we got down a run and I was like, I hope they don’t score first. Because it felt like if the other team scored first, wewere in trouble,” manager DonMattingly said. “But nowyou don’t have that same feeling.”
Miami scored in six innings Wednesday (including multiple runs in inning Nos. 2-5), and the top four hitters in the lineup (Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton, ChristianY elich and Marcell Ozuna) all had multiple hits.
Ozuna and Tyler Moore homered in the second. Ozuna’s was his 17th of the season, tied with Stanton for the team lead.
“O’s homer is huge,” Mattingly said.
“We’re down four in the second and you don’t think it’s over by any means.” Christian Yelich, on the team’s offense
“That one is an important run that didn’t seem huge at the time. In my mind, it just lets everybody know we’re in this game and there’s a longway to go.”
Tomas Telis’ pinch-hit double to left-center in the fourth tied the game, and Gordon’s single to left put the Marlins up.
They tacked on relentlessly from there: another in the fourth (Yelich hit by a pitch with the bases loaded), two more in the fifth (JT Riddle single, Gordon sacrifice fly), one in the sixth (Ozuna double) and one more in the seventh (Stanton single).
Again: It couldn’t be more different from May.
“Our guys are just, you know, doing their job,” Yelich said. “We’re down four in the second and you don’t think it’s over by any means.”
The early runs came against A’s right-hander Daniel Gossett, who allowed six earned in 3 1⁄ 3 innings in his major league debut. He also got down a sacrifice bunt and managed an infield single in his two plate appearances, the first of his professional career.
The Marlins’ large lead allowed Mattingly to use his low-leverage relievers by game’s end, the result well in hand. Drew Steckenrider was the last of six bullpen arms to combine for five innings of one-run ball.
Right-hander Edinson Volquez, who in his previous three starts allowed one run in 22 innings, was neither effective nor efficient as he had been in those games. He lasted only four innings, allowing five runs (four earned).
Ryon Healy had the big blow, a three-run-homer-to center in the second. Volquez also walked in a run during a three-walk, 31-pitch first inning and gave up an RBI double to Jed Lowrie in the fourth.
“I didn’t feel really good today,” Volquez said. “I don’t think I had everything working. I got in trouble myself, walking people.”
Or, as Mattingly put it: “Rough.”
Mattingly indicated that the strange week, with two days off, wasn’t unwelcome. It offers rest, particularly for those Marlins who play every day, and the road trip is easier knowing the flights are short ones and a long homestand awaits starting nextweek.
Plus, checking out the Braves’ new digs will be nice — nicer if Miami keeps hitting the way it has.
“Hopefully we can keep riding this,” Mattingly said.