Otto Lopez, whose .341 batting average leads the majors, went 3-for-5 with four runs and the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning as the host Miami Marlins defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-6 on Tuesday night.
Joe Mack, Miami’s rookie catcher, went 4-for-4 with three runs as the Marlins improved to 6-1 over their past seven games.
The Diamondbacks, just 3-8 in their past 11 games, were led by Ketel Marte, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Arizona was also helped by solo home runs from Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno.
Brandyn Garcia (0-1), who entered the game with a 0.69 ERA, took the loss due to Miami’s four-run eighth-inning rally. Mack singled, advanced on a hit-by-pitch and scored on Lopez’s 105-mph single. The Marlins added Javier Sanoja’s two-run single and Esteury Ruiz’s RBI double.
All four runs were charged to Garcia, whose ERA ballooned to 3.29. Pete Fairbanks (3-3) struck out two in the ninth for Miami.
Arizona needed just six pitches to take the lead as Carroll hammered a one-out solo homer. Carroll got a high fastball and drilled it 400 feet to the upper deck in right for his 11th homer of the season.
Miami tied the score in the bottom of the first as Lopez doubled and scored on Xavier Edwards’ single over second baseman Marte’s glove.
The Marlins went up 2-1 in the second as Mack singled and scored from first on Connor Norby’s 392-foot double to left-center.
Lopez scored again in the third as he doubled, stole third and trotted home on Edwards’ deep sacrifice fly.
Arizona cut its deficit to 3-2 in the fourth on Moreno’s 417-foot blast to left-center.
Miami chased Arizona starter Zac Gallen in the sixth before taking a 6-2 lead on Liam Hicks’ RBI double and Kyle Stowers’ two-run double.
Arizona kept battling in the seventh as Tommy Troy walked, advanced on a passed ball and scored on Marte’s 103-mph double to left-center, making it 6-3.
The Diamondbacks tied the score 6-6 in the eighth. After Arizona loaded the bases with one out against reliever Tyler Zuber, Miami went to Calvin Faucher, who allowed all three inherited runners to score on Marte’s two-run single and Carroll’s RBI groundout.
