In a game packed with momentum swings, home runs, and unlikely heroes, the Miami Marlins snapped a five-game losing streak with an 11-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in 10 innings on Saturday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. It took resilience, timely hitting, and a little bit of luck, but the Marlins walked away with a dramatic win in extra innings.
Vidal Bruján Hernandez delivered the decisive blow with an RBI single in the 10th inning off reliever Garrett Cleavinger (0-2), driving in the automatic runner to put Miami ahead for good. Rookie Cade Gibson (1-3) shut down Tampa Bay with two scoreless innings to earn his first major league win.
Rays slugger Christopher Morel nearly carried Tampa Bay to a fifth straight win by himself, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, a walk, and four RBIs. He helped the Rays storm out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning with a three-run blast off Miami starter Ryan Weathers. Danny Jansen and Taylor Walls followed with back-to-back doubles as the Rays looked poised to continue their recent surge.
Weathers, who took an unfortunate blow to the head on catcher Nick Fortes’ throw to second during warmups, lasted just three innings as a precaution. The left-hander and son of former MLB pitcher David Weathers allowed four runs before exiting.
After falling behind early, the Marlins rallied against Rays starter Taj Bradley. Dan Myers and Fortes opened the third inning with singles, and Xavier Edwards doubled in Myers. Jesús Sánchez tied the game at 4-all with his fifth home run of the year.
The Rays briefly reclaimed the lead in the fourth when Morel doubled off Ronny Henriquez and Jansen followed with his fifth home run of the season to make it 6-4. But the game unraveled for Tampa Bay in the fifth.
The Marlins batted around in a wild seven-run inning. Sánchez delivered again with a two-run double that gave Miami a 7-6 lead, Liam Hicks added a two-run double of his own, and Myers drove in Hicks with another double to push the lead to 10-6 before José Caballero threw out Myers at the plate to stop the bleeding.
Tampa Bay responded with firepower. Morel belted his second homer of the night — his fifth of the season — in the sixth, and Walls followed Jansen’s single with a two-run blast to trim the deficit to 10-9. Brandon Lowe tied the game at 10 with a solo shot in the seventh, his 13th of the year.
In the 10th, the Rays threatened once again. With the automatic runner on second, Caballero grounded to second baseman Edwards, but Edwards alertly threw home and cut down Kameron Misner trying to score the tying run. The defensive gem preserved the Marlins’ slim edge.
Despite the victory, Miami’s pitching struggles remain evident. The Marlins’ staff ERA of 4.99 is the fourth-worst in the majors and ranks second-worst in the National League, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies (5.37).
The Rays (34-30) will look to bounce back and take the rubber match of the three-game set on Sunday. The Marlins (24-38), desperate for any sign of momentum, hope Saturday’s slugfest provides a spark as they try to climb out of the National League East basement.
