MIA 5, OAK 3; Offense Produces, Marlins Win First Road Series Since July

Add the Oakland Athletics to the short list—emphasis on “short”—of teams that the Marlins take care of business against. For just the second time all month, the Marlins clinched a winning series. It’s their first winning series on the road since they took two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates July 22-24.

Tuesday’s 5-3 final score doesn’t do justice how feeble the Marlins pitching made the A’s look. Marlins starting pitcher Pablo López pitched a six-inning shutout, allowing just four hits and collecting five strikeouts. It’s his first time going six or more innings since July 26 against the Cincinnati Reds.

López had been struggling for the last couple of months, especially in August. He entered this game with a 7.04 ERA in three August starts.

Lòpez’s night seemed like it could all unfurl in the sixth inning when he gave up a single and a two-out walk, and double to load the bases. But a clutch swinging strikeout to Chad Pinder on a changeup got the Fish out of the inning. A’s batters swung at López’s changeup 16 times and whiffed on nine of them. Only two of them were put in play.

The three runs the A’s scored all came during a ninth-inning rally that was all for naught. Cole Sulser, making his third appearance since coming off the IL last week, gave up three hits and one run. He was then charged with another two runs when Tanner Scott came in relief and allowed his inherited runners to score. Scott got the final out with the tying run at the plate.

The Marlins offense came on a fourth-inning home run by Brian Anderson, followed by a four-run fifth inning that saw Jerar Encarnación, Jesús Aguilar, and Jacob Stallings all rack up RBI.

Don Mattingly’s Postgame Press Conference

Baseball Savant

The Marlins and A’s wrap up their series today at 3:37 p.m. EST. Marlins starter and former Oakland Athletic Jesús Luzardo will take the mound against his previous team for the first time.