Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Stanton’s 41st homer powers Miami, starter Nicolino to win
MIAMI — It has become a daily occurrence, something to be expected.
Giancarlo Stanton delivered again Saturday, launching his 41st homer 463 feet into the servers’ area of the Budweiser Bar beyond left field Saturday at Marlins Park.
The three-run shot was Stanton’s eighth homer in nine games and left him one away from Gary Sheffield’s club record for a season.
It provided the impetus for a series-clinching 4-3 win against the Rockies and Justin Nicolino’s first as a starter since May 3, 2016 (Diamondbacks).
Making his first start in the majors since June 24, Nicolino held a high-octane Rockies lineup to two runs (one earned) in 5 innings.
On the road from prospect to suspect, Nicolino has reached the crossroads for finding an identity with the Miami Marlins or falling by the wayside.
“I think the true thing for Nico is really to know who he is as a pitcher,” manager Don Mattingly said this weekend when Nicolino was summoned from the minors yet again to try to etch his name in the starting rotation with something more enduring than chalk.
“What kind of pitcher is he going to have to be to be effective? I’m not sure we know exactly what that will be.”
Nicolino, who needs to be crafty in lieu of overpowering velocity, has struggled for the answer through three seasons of bouncing between Miami and the minors.
Saturday was his best effort in a while. His main deficiency was being unable to get Charlie Blackmon out, a task others have struggled with this season.
The National League’s second-leading hitter singled his first three times up off Nicolino and scored twice. Both runs were set up by stolen bases. An error by J.T. Realmuto on the throw in the fifth sent Blackmon to third, and he scored an unearned run on a sacrifice fly.
The Marlins unexpectedly found themselves up against their former manager, Mike Redmond, the Rockies bench coach who filled in with Bud Black feeling ill. Redmond was in the opposite dugout when Nicolino won his major league debut in 2015 with seven shutout innings at Cincinnati.
Nicolino got through a shaky first inning on two hits, including Jonathon Lucroy’s two-out RBI single, and all three outs on balls solidly hit to the outfield.
The Marlins got the run back on their half of the inning, sparked by another resounding hit by Stanton that went for a double. He scored on Marcell Ozuna’s goundout.
Nicolino received backing of double plays started by shortstop Miguel Rojas in the second and third innings, the latter an artful stab behind second base and flip to Dee Gordon, who took it barehanded and completed the quick turn.
A two-out walk and ground-rule double by Carlos Gonzalez turned a routine inning into a bind.
Stanton’s latest moon shot made it 4-1 in the fourth and continued his ridiculous pace with 20 homers in his past 32 games. On Friday he reached 40 homers in the Marlins’ 114th game, the third-fastest to do so in the 16 seasons since 2001 when Barry Bonds set the singleseason homer record.
The Marlins got a mostly solid effort from the bullpen, capped by Brad Ziegler recording his second save of the series and fourth in four attempts since taking over as closer since A.J. Ramos was traded.
Workhorse Dustin McGowan stranded two runners left by Nicolino in the sixth. Drew Stecknrider struck out two in the seventh.
Righty Brian Ellington gave up a run in an erratic eighth that included a walk, wild pitch, hit batter and a passed ball.