Edward Cabrera delivered his best outing of the season, and Javier Sanoja supplied just enough offense as the Miami Marlins edged the San Francisco Giants 1-0 on Saturday in a tightly contested pitching battle at loanDepot park.
Cabrera (2-1) worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing six hits while walking three and striking out five. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 4.14 after entering May with a 7.23 mark, continuing a steady turnaround for the young pitcher.
The game’s only run came in the bottom of the second inning. Giants starter Robbie Ray (7-1), who was seeking to become MLB’s first eight-game winner this season, issued back-to-back walks to Dane Myers and Nick Fortes. Sanoja followed with a line drive single to right field, scoring Myers and giving the Marlins all they would need.
Ray was otherwise dominant, retiring the final 15 batters he faced while striking out nine across seven innings. He gave up only two hits and three walks in the hard-luck loss.
Myers also shined on defense, making a spectacular leaping catch at the center field wall to end a Giants threat in the seventh. With two outs and Heliot Ramos on first, Jung Hoo Lee launched a deep drive to center that Myers tracked down and caught just before crashing into the wall.
Miami’s defense came up big again in the fourth inning, when left fielder Heriberto Hernández robbed Tyler Fitzgerald of extra bases with a leaping grab at the warning track.
After Cabrera exited with two runners aboard and two outs in the sixth, Ronny Henriquez entered and struck out Fitzgerald to preserve the Marlins’ slim lead—a key moment in the game. Henriquez and Anthony Bender combined to retire the next seven batters before Calvin Faucher closed the door in the ninth for his fourth save.
Despite out-hitting the Marlins 6-3 and drawing three walks, the Giants stranded 11 runners and failed to break through offensively. It marked their 13th straight game scoring four or fewer runs—a troubling trend as their offensive struggles continue.
The series concludes Sunday, with San Francisco sending right-hander Hayden Birdsong (2-1, 2.48 ERA) to the mound against Miami’s Ryan Weathers (1-0, 1.15 ERA).
