Ramos notches 1st save in weeks

MIAMI — A.J. Ramos’ first priority after finishing off the Miami Marlins’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday wasn’t to take a shower, talk to reporters or even file through the high-five line of teammates.

Before any of that, Ramos scurried over to the opening behind the homeplate netting to hug his first and biggest fan: his mother, Cynthia, who was in town with other family to attend the game. Ramos handed her the game ball.

Cynthia told her son she wanted a save for Mother’s Day. Ramos, who hadn’t had so much as a save opportunity since April 22, couldn’t ensure by himself that the Marlins would have a lead of three runs or fewer in the ninth.

But when that’s exactly how it lined up, and Ramos indeed entered, he gave momma what she wanted. After a leadoff walk to Ender Inciarte, Ramos set the next three Braves down in order for the Marlins’ first win in six games.

Cynthia, watching from her frontrow seat behind home plate, looked nervous and bit her fingernails the entire time. She could barely watch her son, who also didn’t want to watch her.

“I don’t like to watch her because then I get nervous if I watch her, because I feel like she gets nervous,” Ramos said, “but I try to stay focused. I knew that after the game, if I threw well, that I was going to give her the ball. It was a good moment.”

A good moment in a series of them for the Miami bullpen Sunday. Kyle Barraclough worked around trouble in a scoreless seventh, his first in more than a week. David Phelps struck out two batters in his perfect eighth, which came right after the Marlins took the lead on Tyler Moore’s home run.

Phelps was fired up after ending the inning by striking out Emilio Bonifacio swinging.

“There’s some frustration built up in myself so far, and it’s a big situation right there,” Phelps said. “We just put three runs up. It’s a big zero for us. It’s nice to be able to hand the ball over to A.J. in a save situation, so a lot of things going into it. It [the excitement] happens from time to time.

“That’s kind of the blueprint of how we’re trying to do things. You’re seeing a lot of guys, there’s some frustration coming out and it’s really big to get a win today.”

2nd opinion for Chen?

Wei-Yin Chen isn’t sure what will come next for him and his painful left elbow. He took Sunday off, rest prescribed by a Miami Marlins team doctor, and will see how he feels Monday. He could get another MRI — a more detailed version than the one he had last week — and seek a second opinion in the coming days, Chen said.

Chen, who has been managing a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow since last summer, said he experienced pain and ended his Saturday bullpen session halfway through.

“I’m not sure if only rest can [help],” Chen said through translator Louis

Chao. “I think I have to get an MRI and talk to the doctor and see what he thinks and then decide what we’re going to do.”

Asked if Tommy John surgery has been discussed as an option, Chen said: “We haven’t discussed all the details yet. I might also go seek a second opinion. We will see how I feel tomorrow, see what the second opinion is. We haven’t discussed all the details yet.”

Chen had Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in 2006.

Odds & ends

Miguel Rojas said Friday surgery on his fractured right thumb went smoothly. … The Marlins optioned utilityman Steve Lombardozzi to Triple-A New Orleans to make room for Justin Nicolino, who started Sunday’s game.