Schumaker gets first Marlins win, Chisholm helps beat Mets
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MIAMI (AP) — After Skip Schumaker got his first win as a major league manager, Miami Marlins players put him in a cart, rolled him into the shower area of their clubhouse and doused him with whatever liquids they had on hand to celebrate.
“They thought of some kind of beer shower,” Schumaker said after changing out of his drenched clothes, “protein shake in my ear and whatever else they put in my head."
Behind five shutout innings from Jesús Luzardo and home runs by Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jorge Soler, the Miami Marlins defeated the New York Mets 2-1 on Friday night.
Schumaker, an 11-year-big league veteran, got his first managing job last October when he was hired to replace Don Mattingly. The 43-year-old spent last season as the St. Louis bench coach.
“I know it goes on my record, but they won that game,” Schumaker said. "Players win games, and I’m just glad to be a part of it.”
Luzardo (1-0) struck out five and allowed two hits while walking four in his first start this season. The 25-year-old left-hander had a 3.32 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate in 100 1/3 innings last season.
“The next step is being consistent,” Luzardo said. "I feel towards the end of last year I was able to do that. Just come out and no matter who we’re facing, no matter the situation, I feel it has to be 100% on the attack.”
Soler, in his first game in right field for the Marlins, made a leaping grab against the wall on Pete Alonso’s sharp fly ball to right center in the second. He followed with a leadoff shot in the bottom half off David Peterson (0-1).
“It was a great play out in the outfield and I took that feeling back to the plate," said Soler, the designated hitter in the opener. “The pitcher was throwing fastballs, and I had to be aggressive. If he threw one down the middle, I was going to go for it.”
Soler also ran in for a diving catch that robbed Starling Marte for the final out in the eighth. That stranded Daniel Vogelbach, who had pinch hit and doubled off Dylan Floro.
Chisholm doubled the lead with an eighth-inning homer off John Curtiss, who made his Mets debut. That proved to be key when Alonso homered in the ninth off A.J. Puk for his first hit this season.
Puk then struck out Mark Canha and got Jeff McNeil to ground out for the save, ending a game that took 2 hours, 9 minutes.
New York, which had won Thursday's opener, loaded the bases in the sixth after Brandon Nimmo walked and took third on a single by Marte, who then stole second, Francisco Lindor walked, and reliever JT Chargois retired Alonso on a lineout to Chisholm in center.
Marte had two of New York’s four hits. Peterson gave up eight hits, struck out five and walked one in five innings.
“I like the fact that he only had one walk,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “That's probably why he was able to survive.”
Garrett Cooper singled twice and had a triple in the first. Miami went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
Miami's Nick Fortes was called for a pitch clock violation when he wasn't ready in time to face Tommy Hunter with two outs in the sixth. Fortes swung and missed at the next pitch, falling into an 0-2 count, then grounded out.
EURO STEP
Chisholm, known for his flashy celebrations, Euro-stepped to home plate for the first time this season after his homer. He had 14 home runs last season.
THROWBACK UNIS
The Marlins debuted the teal uniforms that they will wear on Fridays this season to commemorate the club's 30th anniversary.
WEB GEM
McNeil made an alert play in the fifth when Cooper's sharp two-out grounder deflected off Alonso's glove. McNeil grabbed the ball with a dive on the right field grass, popped up and made a one-hop throw to the plate, where Tomás Nido tagged a sliding Jon Berti, who had tried to score from second.
“That was a sick play,” Alonso said. “I mean, the ball tips off my glove. If that ball squirts away in the outfield, then that's another run, so for him to have the baseball instincts and pick the ball up and make that play, that's excellent.”
UP NEXT
Miami RHP Edward Cabrera will start Saturday against New York RHP Tylor Megill, who fills the slot that opened when Justin Verlander was placed on the injured list because of a strained upper back muscle.
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