Marlins falter late
Lopez holds Cards to 2 runs over 7 innings
MIAMI — Despite another strong start from rookie Pablo López, the Marlins were unable to notch a second-straight win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Tied 2-2 in the 8th inning, St. Louis third baseman Matt Carpenter blasted a solo homer to right off Elieser Hernandez to break the tie and give the Redbirds a 3-2 win.
The Marlins had the tying run on second in the ninth, but JT Riddle struck out to end the game.
Jupiter High School alum Miles Mikolas, who was selected to the All-Star game this season, picked up the victory for St. Louis (59-55), giving up two runs in seven innings.
López pitched a career-high seven innings, allowing just two earned runs on four hits, but took a no-decision. López entered the seventh inning with a 2-0 lead, but was unable to exit the frame unscathed. After walking his first batter of the game, he gave up a two-run homer to Paul DeJong on his 100th pitch of the night to even the game, 2-2.
López rebounded to end the inning without any further damage. The rookie has been one of the bright spots in Miami’s rotation since making his
MLB debut on June 30. In his past two starts, the righthander has given up three earned runs in 13 innings.
For the second straight night, the Marlins (47-68) pounced on the Cardinals for a first-inning run. After a leadoff single from Derek Dietrich, Justin Bour continued his recent hot streak with an RBI single to center. The first baseman has hit safely in his past four games and is 5-15 with 3 RBI during that stretch.
After a lead-off triple from Riddle to open the fifth, Miami tagged St. Louis for another run as Miguel Rojas laced an RBI single to left, giving the Marlins a 2-0 lead.
Following Carpenter’s home run, the Marlins were unable to rally in the late stages of the contest.
Miami and St. Louis will square off in the rubber match tonight. The Marlins took the series opener 2-1.