:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46648670/GettyImages-479078712.0.jpg)
Miami's offense finally picked up the slack and earned a solid victory against the San Fransisco Giants by a score of 5-3. The big blow came courtesy of Dee Gordon's first homerun of the season and the fifth of his career...and it happened in the most Flash Jr. way imaginable.
Mat Latos was in trouble early and Bradon Belt got to him in the first, singling in Joe Panik to get the scoring started, 1-0 Giants.
Things got electric in the second inning. With Derek Dietrich and Ichiro on, Dee Gordon smoked one perfectly between Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco in right centerfield. The two runners scored easily and Gordon did not let up, taking advantage of the well stroked hit and a minor Blanco flub to completely round the bases, making an emphatic head first slide to nab the first inside the park homerun in Marlins Park's young history. 3-1 Marlins lead.
Buster Posey brought the score to 3-2 with a solo blast in the third, but Justin Bour immediately answered in the Marlins half with his own solo shot. 4-2 Fish. Posey figured into the picture again in the sixth, scoring off of a Latos wild pitch and again bringing the score within one, 4-3. Mat Latos would be done after six, having thrown 90 pitches, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits, walking none and striking out four.
Miguel Rojas would tack on an insurance run in the eighth, sacrificing in Dietrich from third to make it 5-3 Marlins. The Marlins pen (Steve Cishek, Mike Dunn, Carter Capps, AJ Ramos) were effective in keeping San Fransisco at bay. Capps in particular was impressive, generating three swinging strike outs from the heart of the Giants order. Ramos picked up the clean save, though he did get a stellar assist from the tandem of Rojas and Bour, the former with a tremendous grab and throw and the latter making a pick through oncoming traffic, keeping his foot on the bag despite falling flat on his face immediately after.
Lest we forget in Stanton's absence that we have another All-Star on the roster (and how could you after seeing that homerun), Dee Gordon ended the night hitting .351 and riding an 11 game hitting streak.
The Marlins and Giants go again in Game two tomorrow, 7:10 EST.
Source: FanGraphs
Attendance: 19,711
Hero of the Game: Dee Gordon (+,227)
Goat of the Game: Ryan Vogelsong (-.216)
Play of the Game: Dee Gordon inside the park homerun (+.290)