Marlins topple the Rays 3-2

The Marlins won in walk off fashion last night, defeating the Rays 3-2. There were two major uncharacteristic things that occurred in the game. Wei-Yin Chen pitched a fantastic game and Kyle Barraclough gave up a run while trying to lock down the save. These two things combined made for a pretty interesting game.

First lets take a look at Chen’s night. Chen pitched six innings of three hit ball, giving up only one run and striking out five batters. He looked strong tonight and kept everything under control when runners were in scoring position. He did not have much run support, but he kept the Fish in the game.

The Marlins struck first in the second inning. Starlin Castro, who ended up with four hits on the night, started the offense off with a single. Miguel Rojas also had a great night racking up three hits. His first hit was a double that brought Castro home giving Miami the 1-0 lead.

The fourth inning was when the Rays would strike back. Daniel Robertson would start the inning on second, after a fielding error by Starlin Castro. Former Marlin Adeiny Hechavarria did all he could tonight to try and take down the Fish. His first action was a sacrifice fly that brought Robertson home to tie the game 1-1. He would later make a slick fielding play to stop the Fish from scoring.

The Marlins would not wait long to respond to this run. The next inning J.T. Realmuto absolutely crushed a ball into the stands. This was a no-doubter for sure, Realmuto just continues to show why he deserves to be in the All-Star game. *Side note, the latest update to All-Star game voting has Realmuto finally cracking the top 5, go vote!

The Marlins would cruise along until the ninth inning, when they called in Kyle Barraclough. Barraclough had been unstoppable for the last month, not giving up a run over 20 ²⁄₃ innings. Tonight the streak would be broken. A single and a double was all that was needed to tie the game and break his run. Luckily for the Fish, Barraclough would be able to finish up the inning.

The table was set for a Miami walk-off. The Marlins top two hitters would start off this winning effort. Brian Anderson started off the 10th inning with a walk. Realmuto followed this up with a single, sending Anderson to third. Yadiel Rivera brought everything together with a walk-off single, to third baseman Matt Duffy. Duffy attempted a throw home but Anderson was already home, ending the Fish’s night with a great win.

Fangraphs

Kingfish: J.T. Realmuto (.355 WPA).

Flounder: Ryne Stanek (-.365).

Play of the game: Yadiel Rivera walk-off single in the 10th.

Attendance: 6,004.

Please leave any Icthy picks in the comments below. Remember, we introduced a new grand prize for the contest this season!

Matchup Summary:

The Marlins flirted with fourth place in their lastest series against the Mets, in which they won the series 2-1. The Marlins will look to keep the ball rolling as they take on the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays are an overachieving team, that no one thought would be where they are right now, above .500. Since they are in a competitive AL East, they are still 13 games back of first place.

The Marlins will look to continue their offensive success, when they face Nathan Eovaldi tonight. The Marlins will need plenty of help, run wise tonight, as they will have Wei-Yin Chen on the mound. Chen has had no success this season, and will look to put together a solid start for the Fish.

Game Thread Question: Will the Fish be able to take back fourth place and hold onto it for the rest of the season?