MIA 9, COL 8: Wild & Wacky Win

Tuesday’s home opener against the Colorado Rockies was among the wackier days in the near-30-year history of the Miami Marlins.

Beyond the fact that the team didn’t release the lineup within 45 minutes of the first pitch, what transpired on the field only added to the madcap night of baseball; a night, that fortunately ended in a 9-8 Miami triumph.

Daniel Castano, making his second start in place of the injured Edward Cabrera and coming off the best outing of his career, only lasted 70 pitches, and 3.1 innings of 4-run ball. Upon his exit, Miami trailed 4-0 and appeared en route to another disappointing loss.

Then, the Miami bats that lay dormant for the first 3 innings erupted for a 5-run 4th, thanks in large part to Avisaíl García’s biggest swing since coming over on a 4-year/$53M deal courtesy of a three-run blast to cut the deficit to one.

Two pitches later, Jesús Sánchez, himself already having hit 3 home runs in the month of June, would connect for his 9th home run of the season to tie the game at 4. Fast forward to the end of the inning and thanks to Jon Berti single, Miami had retaken the lead at 5-4.

Alas, though, given the aforementioned wacky-natured mood that clouded loanDepot Park and the realm of Marlins Twitter this Tuesday night, suffice to say it was merely a matter of time before more madness would ensue.

After a Ryan McMahon double drove in C.J. Cron for the third baseman’s fourth RBI of the game - having previously hit a three-run homer in the top of the 4th - the game would be back even at 5.

A three-run bottom of the 5th gave Miami another lead, only to quickly see it erased in the top of the 6th at the hands of Brendan Rodgers, Randal Grichuk, and the above-mentioned McMahon, though the Fish would eventually reclaim the lead on a Garrett Cooper double that was stalled by a Rockies’ challenge of what was a perceived tag at 2nd base.

Looking Ahead

For Wednesday, Miami will send Pablo López (4-3, 2.85 ERA) to the hill. In his last outing on 06/17, López was charged with a season-high 7 runs over 5.1 innings in a loss to the division-leading Mets. Colorado will counter with Chad Kuhl (4-4, 3.69 ERA) with first pitch slated for 6:40 Eastern.

Of Note

• Berti Bags: With his stolen base in the 3rd inning, IF/OF Jon Berti collected his 19th consecutive successful stolen base attempt, the second-longest stretch in franchise history. The club record, set in 2012, belongs to another utlity player, Emilio Bonifacio.

Baseball-Savant