Ramos blows save as Puig goes deep twice
MIAMI — Yasiel Puig shoveled his bat toward the first-base dugout during the ninth inning of the Marlins 6-4 loss to the Dodgers, his back facing the flight of the baseball he just demolished. He didn’t need towatch it.
The ball clanged off the Marlins home run sculpture in left-center field as he celebrated pulling the Dodgers from a second-half opening loss to Miami. On the mound, Marlins closer AJ Ramos asked for a new ball as Puig rounded the bases Friday night.
Ramos was one strike away against three different batters from extending the Marlins’ three-game winning streak. Instead, Puig’s three-run home run rendered a Marlins ninth-inning lead moot, and snatched away a Miami victory.
Ramos had two strikes on Joc Pederson. Pederson singled to right field. Ramos had two strikes on Yasmani Grandal. Grandal walked. Ramos had two strikes on Puig. Puig uncorked a nodoubt, 412-foot home run, his second of the night.
Itwas Ramos’ first blown save since June17, a string of 10 straight appearances.
Highlighted by Justin Bour’s two-run double, the Marlins (41-47) tagged Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy for three runs in the fifth inning, flipping a tworun deficit into a one-run lead. Bour’s double to leftcenter plated Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna (walk). Stanton’s own double scored Dee Gordon.
The three-run fifth inning backed a solid effort from Marlins right-hander Dan Straily, though he gave up at least one home run for the fifth straight start.
The Dodgers (62-29) victimized Straily by clubbing a pair of massive home runs in the top of the fifth inning that gave them a 3-1 lead. Puig launched a 71-mph curveball 449 feet beyond left field. Three batters later, Corey Seager blasted a solo shot to right field.
The Marlins gifted the Dodgers a run in the second inning. With two outs and men on the corners, Los Angeles catcher Yasmani Grandal took off for second base. J.T. Realmuto’s throw to Gordon was on time, but Gordon botched the catch.
Joc Pederson dashed home from third in time to beat Gordon’s high throw.