Xavier Edwards led the way with a four-hit performance, and the Miami Marlins used a balanced offensive attack and key late-inning pitching to beat the Houston Astros 6-4 on Wednesday night at loanDepot park, snapping a seven-game losing streak against the reigning AL West leaders.
Edwards went 4-for-5 with a double and scored twice, including a key run in the second inning that gave the Marlins early breathing room. He doubled to start the frame and scored on Agustín Ramírez’s sacrifice fly to push Miami’s lead to 4-2. Edwards is now hitting .362 since the All-Star break and continues to spark a Marlins team that’s 31-16 since June 13.
Heriberto Hernández and Graham Pauley each blasted solo home runs to back up starter Janson Junk, who improved to 6-2 with five steady innings. Hernández’s homer in the third extended the Marlins’ lead to 5-2, and Pauley added a solo shot in the fifth to make it 6-3.
Junk allowed five hits and three runs over five innings, walking two and striking out two. Since joining the Marlins rotation on June 20, Miami is 8-2 in Junk’s 10 starts.
Lake Bachar worked a clean ninth inning for his second save of the season, but not before the Astros threatened to tie it in the eighth.
In the game’s pivotal moment, Miami clung to a 6-4 lead in the eighth when Houston loaded the bases with one out after a pinch-hit single by Jeremy Peña. But reliever Calvin Faucher induced a fielder’s choice at home from rookie Cam Smith, then got Mauricio Dubón to pop out to end the inning and preserve the Marlins’ lead.
Houston jumped out to a quick lead in the first on Christian Walker’s two-run homer, but the Marlins responded immediately. RBI singles from Liam Hicks, Otto Lopez, and Hernández gave Miami a 3-2 advantage in the bottom half, a lead they never relinquished.
Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti (1-2) took the loss, surrendering six runs (five earned) on ten hits over five innings. Mauricio Dubón and Carlos Correa hit back-to-back doubles in the fifth to bring Houston within 5-3, and Victor Caratini added an RBI double in the sixth, but the Astros couldn’t break through again.
The Marlins have surged into NL Wild Card contention thanks to strong recent form. Since June 13, they’ve gone 31-16 and are unbeaten in 13 of their last 15 series (11-3-1). Wednesday’s win moved them to 56-57 overall.
Astros: RHP Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.47 ERA) will open a marquee weekend series at Yankee Stadium on Friday night against New York rookie Cam Schlittler (1-2, 4.58 ERA).
Marlins: RHP Eury Pérez (4-3, 2.70 ERA) is set to take the mound Thursday against the Atlanta Braves, who have yet to announce a starting pitcher.
