Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Marlins beat Braves, 3-1
Miami has its fourth win in the past three weeks.
MIAMI — Loud music, fake smoke, happy players — the celebratory scene unfolding in the Miami Marlins’ clubhouse Sunday afternoon was an uncommon one of late. What would normally look like a routine win was savored a little more than that.
With a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves, the Marlins avoided the weekend sweep, snapped a five-game losing streak and picked up just their fourth win in the past three weeks. The mood was upbeat, and the scoreboard dictated that the Marlins engage in their regular post-win habit of turning the clubhouse into a club.
“I was happy all the equipment still works,” said closer A.J. Ramos, who picked up the save in his first opportunity to do so since April 22. “All the fog lights and everything, music and everything still works. I think we’re going to be using it a lot more now.”
Tyler Moore, on his sixth day back with the big league team, was the hero. Pinch-hitting in the pitcher’s spot in the bottom of the seventh, Moore launched
“It’s been tough around here. It’s good to see guys walking out of here with a smile.” Tyler Moore, infielder
a two-out three-run home run to left-center field to account for all of Miami’s runs. He charged hard out of the box, thinking the line drive would be a double, but it sneaked over the wall for a Miami lead.
It was Moore’s first homer since Sept. 20, 2015, when he was with the Washington Nationals and went yard against the Marlins and Justin Nicolino, who coincidentally started for Miami on Sunday. It was also Moore’s first hit in three tries since rejoining the Marlins this week.
The key, now, is for the Marlins to do it again the next day — something they haven’t for the better part of a month. They last won back-to-back games on April 22-23.
Since then, they have followed wins with four straight losses, two straight, three straight and five straight as they sunk to last in the NL East standings. The climb upward continues Monday against the Houston Astros, who have won more games than any team in baseball. It’s the final series of the Marlins’ nine-game homestand.
“I think really what you see today, we get a good starting effort, we get a key hit and our bullpen pitches good,” manager Don Mattingly said. “Everything kind of fell for us today.”
Right-handed Atlanta knuckleballer R.A. Dickey proved tricky for the Marlins — until the seventh, when Giancarlo Stanton’s double to right-center and A.J. Ellis’ walk set up Moore’s dinger. Dickey scattered five hits and three walks while striking out one.
Nicolino was efficient and effective in his 2017 debut for Miami. He allowed one run on six hits in six innings, striking out five and walking four. Nicolino pitched only one perfect inning (the second), but threw no more than 19 pitches in any sin- gle frame and finished his day with 79 pitches total.
With fellow left-hander Wei-Yin Chen out indefinitely with elbow issues, Nicolino was in effect auditioning for an extended look in the big league rotation. He impressed in spring training, but started the year with Triple-A New Orleans.
Three of Atlanta’s first four batters reached against Nicolino, two walks and a bloop single. Nick Markakis sent a grounder back to Nicolino for an inning-ending double play, allowing Nicolino to settle in.
“I knew I had to bear down and make a good pitch,” Nicolino said. “It was the perfectly called pitch at the time. A.J. called it, I had it gripped in my hand and got the ground-ball double play. For me, it kind of set the tone. After that, I got out of it, it was take the ball and let’s go.”
The Miami bullpen contributed three scoreless innings, a noteworthy bounce back after a series of meltdowns contributed to the recent team slump. Kyle Barraclough got through the seventh, with an assist from Marcell Ozuna, who threw out Adonis Garcia, who was trying to go first-to-third on Freddie Freeman’s single.
David Phelps struck out a pair in a perfect eighth before Ramos finished it off.
“It’s been tough around here,” Moore said. “It’s good to see guys walking out of here with a smile.”