Marlins rally in ninth to edge Padres
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MIAMI (AP) — Jean Segura and Nick Fortes singled in runs against Josh Hader in the ninth inning, and the Miami Marlins overcame Gary Sánchez’s first home run for San Diego in a 2-1 victory over the Padres on Wednesday night.
Hader (0-1) blew a save for the third time in 16 chances, opening the ninth with a five-pitch walk to Yuli Gurriel.
Joey Wendle sacrificed and Segura grounded a flat slider for a single past the glove of diving shortstop Xander Bogaerts and into left field for his 500th career RBI.
Segura took second on the throw and stole third. With the infield in, Fortes singled down the right-field line, giving the Marlins their third walk-off win this season.
“We knew that his fastball plays good at the top and from the on deck circle that’s what it was looking like,” Fortes said. “To see it going through the hole it was awesome.”
Hader allowed multiple runs for the first time in 23 outings this season.
“You don’t want to wait around with Hader. The guy’s filthy,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “One of the best closers in the game. You want to be aggressive. Lucky for us, Yuli got on with the leadoff walk.”
Miami had been 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position before the ninth-inning singles. The Marlins hit into three double plays, raising their total to 62 — 14 more than any other big league team. Nick Martinez got Luis Arraez to ground into an inning-ending double play in the eighth.
“Even though we don’t have many runs, throughout the game we had good at-bats and made the pitchers work,” Fortes said. “It wasn’t easy for them.”
Steven Okert (2-0) struck out the side in a perfect ninth, finishing a two-hitter.
In addition to the third-inning homer by Sánchez on a 2-2 cutter from Braxton Garrett, San Diego’s only other hit was Bogaerts’ fourth-inning single. Sánchez made his Padres debut on Tuesday, a day after he was claimed off waivers from the New York Mets.
San Diego starter Blake Snell struck out seven in six innings of three-hit ball.
“Sometimes one run feels much more than it is,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “You hit a home run, have a lead and you have your plus-guys coming in for seven, eight, nine. Blake was fantastic.”
Arraez had two hits and walked for the Marlins, raising his major league-leading average to .381.
Although he has struggled in his first two months with Miami, Segura has hits in four of his last five games, raising his average from .188 to .205.
“I’m seeing the ball and swinging the bat a little bit better,” Segura said.
POPULAR SHIRT
Marlins players and staff wore a new T-shirt before the game that celebrated Soler’s power surge. The shirt features a photo of Soler with the inscription “Bad, Bad Boy.” Soler went deep in five consecutive games during Miami’s trip to Colorado and the Los Angeles Angels. He has 17 home runs.
“This is cool, the shirt is very pretty,” Soler said. “I thank the team for making the shirt for me.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: RHP Seth Lugo (right calf strain) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is doing light running progression.
Marlins: LHP Trevor Rogers (left biceps strain) threw four scoreless innings in a rehab outing with Class A Jupiter on Tuesday. . RHP Johnny Cueto (right biceps tightness) threw a 40-pitch bullpen at Jupiter, Florida There is no timetable on Cueto progressing to a rehab outing.
UP NEXT
Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (2-2, 5.64) will start the series finale Thursday against Marlins LHP Jésus Luzardo (4-3, 3.67).
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