MIAMI—The Miami Marlins picked up a massive win over the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night. After losing each of their first four head-to-head matchups this season, they defeated the defending World Series champions 5-4 thanks to a walk-off single by Jesús Sánchez in the bottom of the tenth inning.
Veteran right-handed pitcher Cal Quantrill got the start for the Marlins. Quantrill had his best performance of the season against the always dangerous Dodgers lineup. He pitched five innings, allowing four hits, one run, one walk, and a season-best six strikeouts. Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough pulled Quantrill from the game after only 79 pitches and two trips through the batting order.
“There’s been a lot of work to get back to where I’d like to think I was closer to my normal self,” Quantrill said after his performance. “There’s still some stuff I would like to get ironed out, but I was much more competitive today, and I was able to pitch well from start to finish.”
McCullough handed the ball to left-handed relief pitcher Anthony Veneziano, and it ended up being a costly decision. Three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani jumped on the first pitch and blasted a towering leadoff homer to right field to tie the game 2-2.
Veneziano would surrender another solo home run to Freddie Freeman, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Freeman made history with that home run, as it was his 42nd against the Marlins. He passed former Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and former Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard to become the all-time home run leader against the Marlins.
Right-handed relief pitcher Lake Bachar came in relief for Veneziano and helped him escape the sixth inning. After the Marlins regained the lead, Bachar came back out for the seventh. He walked James Outman and retired Hyeseong Kim on a force out before McCullough made another call to the bullpen.
Calvin Faucher came in relief for Bachar to face the top of Los Angeles’ lineup. Ohtani greeted Faucher with an RBI double down the RF line that tied the game 4-4. Faucher had some bad luck in that at-bat with two missed strike three calls by home plate umpire Erich Bacchus. Faucher would get Pages and Freeman out to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Heading into the top of the eighth, the Marlins handed the ball to right-hander Anthony Bender. The 30-year-old reliever had a scoreless eighth inning after walking Muncy and allowing a stolen base. Bender got Michael Conforto to ground out and Mookie Betts to fly out to LF.
In the top of the ninth, right-hander Jesús Tinoco was tasked with keeping the game tied. Tinoco pitched a perfect ninth inning. He punched out the first two batters he faced and got Ohtani to roll over on a backdoor slider down and out of the zone. Tinoco went back out for the tenth and had another clean inning, which earned him his second win of the season.
The Marlins’ offense had an excellent night at the plate. The Fish scored five runs on eleven hits against one of the toughest pitching staffs in the league. Jesús Sánchez, the most-tenured position player on Miami’s roster, was the hero. Sánchez went 2-for-5 with two base knocks, including the walk-off single in extras.
7c15f5ba-d6685177-938eec63-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4
“I know the fastball has beaten me a lot lately, so I was ready for it,” Sánchez said about his approach in his last at-bat. “I’m still making that adjustment with being on time with the fastball, and I know if I’m on time with the fastball, I’m still good with a breaking pitch.”
Another outfielder who had a huge game in Miami’s win over the Dodgers was Dane Myers. The 29-year-old went 2-for-4 with an RBI, raising his batting average to .361.
Rookie catcher Liam Hicks went 1-for-2 and drove in the first two runs of the ballgame for Miami. After getting robbed a home run by Andy Pages in his first at-bat, Hicks responded with a no-doubt two-run blast to right field over Pages’ head.
Agustín Ramírez has started to heat up after going cold since April 28. Ramírez went 2-for-4 with a double to right center and singles through the right side to load the bases for Sánchez in the tenth. Three of Ramírez’s last four hits have been opposite-field knocks. It’s a very encouraging sign to see a young player like Ramírez start to adjust to how the league has been attacking him after his incredible start to his career.
What’s next?
The Marlins will host the Dodgers for the final time this season on Wednesday afternoon. Right-handed pitcher Landon Knack will get the start for the Dodgers. Knack has struggled in his first three appearances (two starts) to begin the season. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted a 1-0 record with a 7.27 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, six walks, and seven strikeouts in 8 ⅔ innings pitched.
The Marlins will hand the ball to right-handed pitcher Valente Bellozo, looking to clinch their first series win since the Reds series. The Mexican-born pitcher has made three starts for the Fish this season. Bellozo has posted a 0-2 record with a 4.97 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, eight walks, and seven strikeouts in 12 ⅔ innings pitched.
The first pitch of the rubber match is at 4:40 pm EST.