Miami 6, Milwaukee 4
When: 7:10 PM ET, Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Where: Marlins Park, Miami, Florida
Temperature:
Indoors
Umpires:
Home -
David Rackley, 1B -
Bob Davidson, 2B -
Hunter Wendelstedt, 3B -
Marvin Hudson
Attendance:
14958
By The Sports Xchange
MIAMI -- Rookie J.T. Realmuto hit two solo homers -- including one inside the park -- but he warned everyone not to get used to that type of performance.
"I'm not a big bopper," the Miami Marlins catcher said.
Maybe not, but his power show was enough to lead Miami to a 6-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night at Marlins Park.
Realmuto, who has nine homers this season, tied the score 2-2 in the second inning with a traditional shot over the left-field fence. He hit it on the first pitch of the frame.
In the fourth inning, Realmuto hit a drive to deep center that struck a side wall that juts out, creating an odd carom for Brewers rookie center fielder Domingo Santana. That was enough for Realmuto, who has excellent speed for a catcher, to motor around the bases for his first career inside-the-park homer.
"I thought I had more space," Santana said of his attempt to catch the ball in the air. "(Then) I realized I didn't.
"The ball is not going to hit that corner every time. You just try to play it as best as possible."
It was the first multi-homer game of Realmuto's brief career, and it gave Miami a 4-2 lead. The last Marlins player to have an inside-the-park homer as part of a multi-homer game was Hanley Ramirez in 2006.
"Very few catchers have his power-speed component," Marlins manager Dan Jennings said of Realmuto. "He's such a good athlete.
"He crushed that (inside-the-park homer), and it caromed the right way. Somewhere between first and second, he saw it bounce. He sniffed it, and he knew with his speed, he had it."
Besides Realmuto, Miami also got a strong performance from second baseman Dee Gordon, who had two hits, two runs scored, two steals -- he has 50 on the season -- and one RBI.
Milwaukee loaded the bases in three straight innings -- the third through the fifth -- but could not score in any of those frames. In total, the Brewers stranded 14 runners.
"We had a lot of good at-bats in the game," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We put a ton of pressure on them. We were just a hit away. But we couldn't get that next hit."
Miami rookie reliever Kyle Barraclough (2-0) earned the win, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out four of the five batters he faced. He also escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam that he inherited from starter Adam Conley in the fifth.
A.J. Ramos pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his 24th save.
Milwaukee rookie Taylor Jungmann (9-6) took the loss, allowing seven hits and six runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Miami opened the scoring in the first when Gordon led off with a hit, stole second and scored on a single by third baseman Martin Prado.
Milwaukee took the lead in the second on a two-run homer by Santana. It was his fifth homer of the season -- it came on just his 87th at-bat -- and he stroked it to the opposite field.
After Realmuto tied it with his first homer, the Marlins took a 3-2 lead in the third. Left fielder Christian Yelich hit a one-out single and scored on a single by first baseman Justin Bour.
Realmuto's second homer was part of a three-run fourth inning that put Miami ahead 6-2.
Milwaukee scored twice in the seventh -- first baseman Jason Rogers and second baseman Elian Herrera had RBI singles -- to close its deficit to 6-4.
The Marlins (58-81) and Brewers (61-77), both out of playoff contention, will play the deciding game of their three-game set on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Jennings said Barraclough's performance turned the momentum in Miami's favor. Beyond that, Barraclough has a 0.56 ERA in 15 appearances this year.
"He's definitely a back-end (of the bullpen) guy," Jennings said. "He's made the right way. His stuff is good enough, and the mentality is in there."
NOTES: The announced crowd of 14,958 at Marlins Park was Miami's lowest since Aug. 17, 2013. ... Miami recalled RHP Scott McGough from Triple-A New Orleans and claimed 1B/OF Tommy Medica from the San Diego Padres. ... Brewers RHP Ariel Pena will make his first big-league start Wednesday at Miami. ... Pena replaces Brewers RHP Matt Garza (6-14, 5.63 ERA), who has been ineffective. ... Milwaukee recalled INF Luis Sardinas and C Nevin Ashley from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Sardinas, 22, hit .221 in 20 games for Milwaukee earlier this season. For Ashley, 31, who hit .306 with eight homers and 61 RBIs in 94 Triple-A games, it's his first call to the majors after 10 years in the minors. ... Miami announced its 2016 schedule, which opens at home with two games against the Detroit Tigers (April 5-6). Other interleague visitors to Marlins Park next year: the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox. ... Milwaukee also opens 2016 at home, April 4 against the San Francisco Giants. Milwaukee will be matched against AL West teams for its interleague games.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
Milwaukee
|
13 |
1 |
16 |
.333 |
27 |
16 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
Miami
|
9 |
2 |
17 |
.300 |
12 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
0 |