Big fifth helps Braves rally past Miami, 6-2
ATLANTA — Jorge Soler had a two-run single during his team’s five-run fifth inning, and Ian Anderson tied a career high with nine strikeouts as the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 6-2 on Friday night.
The comeback victory was the Braves’ 35th this season and their second in two nights. They began the game two off the National League lead of the Cincinnati Reds andSan Francisco Giants in that category.
Atlanta, which has won four of its past five games since a 3-8 stretch, entered with a 3 1/2-game lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East Division standings. Miami, 16 1/2 games back in the East, had won four of six entering Friday.
Marlins starter Trevor Rogers allowed a two-out double to Freddie Freeman in the first before retiring the next 11 batters he faced. Travis d’Arnaud got the next hit, a double into right field with one out in the fifth, and Rogers walked Orlando Arcia and hit Guillermo Heredia with a pitch. Pinch-hitter Ehire Adrianza followed with a single that chased Rogers and trimmed the lead to 2-1.
One out later, Soler singled past shortstop Miguel Rojas to score Arcia and Heredia. Adrianza scored on the play, too, as center fielder Bryan De La Cruz made a fielding error that gave the Braves a 4-2 lead. With Soler on second, Freeman hit an infield single that third baseman Isan Diaz fielded and threw errantly to first, scoring Soler to make it 5-2.
The Braves tacked on run for a 6-2 lead in the eighth on Orlando Arcia’s RBI single.
Atlanta closer Will Smith faced the minimum in the ninth for his 32nd save in 37 chances this season.
Rogers (7-7) allowed four runs and three hits with one walk and six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. The left-hander entered winless with a 6.23 ERA in three career starts against Atlanta. It marked the first time since his last start of 2020 that Rogers, a 23-yearold All-Star, allowed more than three runs to snap his franchise-best, 22-game streak of allowing three or fewer runs.
Jesús Sánchez hit a tworun homer in the first to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead.
Anderson (7-5) scuffled in the third, committing a fielding error that allowed Jazz Chisholm Jr. to reach and then issuing consecutive two-out walks to Sánchez and Jorge Alfaro. He escaped the jam when Lewin Diaz popped up.
Miami got off to a good start in the fourth when Chisholm singled and advanced to third on De La Cruz’s single, but Anderson struck out Sánchez and Alfaro to end the threat.
Anderson, who beat the Marlins for the first time in five career starts, allowed two runs and five hits with two walks in five innings.
The Braves have won six of their past seven against Miami.
Before the game, Atlanta placed catcher Stephen Vogt on the 10-day injured list with right hip inflammation. Vogt was hurt in Thursday’s win over the Washington Nationals and had to leave the game. Atlanta recalled catcher William Contreras from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Vogt’s spot on the roster.
Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson got the night off after playing every game the past two seasons.