MIA 4, CHC 3: One More x 4

After three consecutive one-run victories, the Marlins looked to conclude the month of April with their first sweep of the season as they wrapped up their series against the Cubs. As it played out, the baseball gods would have it that Miami’s run of one-run wins would continue, playing out in a 4-3 Marlins win to secure their first series sweep of 2023. With the victory, the Fish wrap up their first month of play 16-13.

Making just his third career Major League start, Bryan Hoeing authored his best outing thus far, limiting Chicago to just 2 runs over 5 innings.

“He dug in,” said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. “He HAD to go out in the 5th because of where our bullpen was, it was just taxed.”

After keeping the Northsiders off the board in the first two innings, Hoeing ran into some trouble when Dansby Swanson laced his second hit of the day to right field to bring home FIU-alum Edwin Rios in the third. Hoeing’s most trying inning came in a 4th that saw centerfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. misread a line drive, hit off the bat at 107.4 mph from Seiya Suzuki. Cody Bellinger would bring his fellow outfielder in with a sacrifice fly to tie the score at 2.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the 4th, the 26-year-old Hoeing struck out Nico Hoerner to thwart a bases-loaded threat before penning a 1-2-3 5th inning to put a bow on his outing.

As they did for Edward Cabrera on Saturday, though, Miami gave their starter runs to work with early. A Garrett Cooper dropped-third strike allowed a fellow Garrett—that being Hampson (2-for-3, 2 2B)—to plate Miami’s first run, tying the score at 1 in the bottom of the 3rd. Second baseman Luis Arraez would follow with an RBI single to put the Marlins in front.

Miami would take the lead once again in the bottom of the 4th when Garrett Hampson delivered his second double of the day, scoring catcher Nick Fortes. Hampson, who signed a minor league deal with the club ahead of Spring Training, has provided a boost off the bench for the Fish, hitting .267/.313/.467/.780 in 49 plate appearances while seeing time at second, short, right, and center field.

Chicago wouldn’t go without a fight, though, as everyone’s favorite bounce-back thus far, Cody Bellinger, struck again, this time with a game-tying solo HR in the top of the 6th. In his first month with the Cubs, Bellinger hit .297, swatting 7 homers to the tune of a .604 slugging percentage.

Yet, as has been the case all season in one-run games, Miami would pullout on top, thanks, again, from none other than Luis Arraez. Following a lead-off walk from Jon Berti and a Jesús Sánchez single in the bottom of the 8th, Arraez would deliver the go-ahead sacrifice fly to give the Fish another one-run lead, wrapping up his first month with a glowing .438 batting average to set a new club record in a given month.

Turning to A.J. Puk in the 9th, the team’s arguably most successful reliever set the Cubs down 1-2-3 to lockdown his 5th save and the Marlins' fourth consecutive one-run win.

Of Note

• First baseman Garrett Cooper (1-for-2, K) exited Sunday’s ballgame in the 4th inning due to a stomach bug.
• Luis Arraez’s .438 batting average in Mar/Apr is the best such mark by any player in Marlins history in a single calendar month (min. 75 PA).
• The Marlins have won 4 straight contests by one-run margins for only the 6th time in franchise history. The most recent MLB team to do it? These same Cubs last season (9/20/22 to 9/23/22).
• Puk’s 0.75 ERA in Mar/Apr is the 7th-lowest mark by a Marlins pitcher in said month in franchise history (min. 10 IP).

Baseball-Savant

Looking Ahead

With a scheduled off day Monday, Miami will have to wait until Tuesday to commence play in May when they welcome the Atlanta Braves for a three-game set. The Marlins will send Sandy Alcantara (1-2, 5.04 ERA) out for his second consecutive outing against Atlanta. Atlanta will counter with Bryce Elder (2-0, 2.17 ERA) with first pitch slated for 6:40 ET from loanDepot Park.