Seven-run 6th sinks Marlins

MIAMI — The carousel spun its way around the Marlins Park infield on Thursday night, an unwelcome adventure for Miami pitchers and a painful sight for the 8,277 in attendance during the Marlins’ 9-2 loss to the Braves.

With walks and doubles and home runs and singles, Atlanta circled the bases in a decisive seven-run sixth inning. They cycled through three Marlins pitchers and punished each one of them. With two outs, eight consecutive Braves reached base, ensuring a fourth consecutive loss for the Marlins.

Ozzie Albies’ tie-breaking grand slam was the deepest cut, a line drive off Marlins right-handed reliever Drew Steckenrider that broke open a tight game. Steckenrider fed Albies a meaty 89-mph slider and the Atlanta leadoff hitter whacked it for his 11th home run of the season. It was Albies’ first career grand slam.

But could the home run have been avoided?

With two outs and a man on second base, Johan Camargo stood in to face Steckenrider. Camargo is Atlanta’s No. 8 hitter, preceding the pitcher and a player that entered Thursday with a .184 batting average. The Marlins (13-24) and acting manager Tim Wallach opted to intentionally walk Camargo, bringing up left-handed pinch-hitter Preston Tucker to face Steckenrider.

Steckenrider walked Tucker on four fastballs, and Albies cleared the bases with one swift swing. The nightmare wasn’t over for Steckenrider. Ronald Acuña Jr. stroked a single before Freddie Freeman (who finished a career-high 5-for-5) launched a two-run home run to right field. Nick Markakis knocked Steckenrider out of the game with a single.

Steckenrider only recorded one out and surrendered six runs on four hits and two walks.

Steckenrider was stellar for the Marlins through the first 17 appearances of the season. His ERA was a sparkling 1.08 and his strikeout to walk ratio was excellent at 7.67. He exited Thursday with an ERA that rose to 4.24.

It was the first time in Steckenrider’s 55 majorleague appearances that the 27-year-old allowed more than two earned runs.

Right-hander Nick Wittgren allowed two more hits in his one-third of an inning before Jose Bautista’s groundout to short mercifully ended the frame for Miami. Atlanta (22-14) sent 12 men to the plate.

It was the second straight game the Marlins were undone by a crooked number. On Wednesday in Chicago, left-hander Wei-Yin Chen gave up eight runs to the Cubs in the third inning of an eventual 13-4 loss. During Miami’s current fourgame losing streak, it has been outscored 40-11.

Marlins left-hander Caleb Smith began the sixth inning battling a rising pitch count that escalated to 93 through the first five innings. He coaxed a leadoff groundout before Ender Inciarte’s single ushered him out of the game.

Smith finished with a career-high 101 pitches, allowing seven hits and two runs across his 5 innings.

Marlins third baseman Martin Prado snapped out of a 0-for-19 slump with singles in the third and fifth innings. He entered Thursday night with an .119/.140/ .143 slash line. His fifth-inning single drove in the first Miami run of the night.

Lewis Brinson crushed his fifth home run of the year in the bottom of the ninth. The solo shot was his first at home.

MICHAEL REAVES/GETTY IMAGES Miguel Rojas of the Miami Marlins tags out Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves after he was picked off at first base during the first inning of Thursday’s game.