Otto Lopez delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning and the Miami Marlins erupted for four runs in the frame to defeat the San Francisco Giants 8-5 on Wednesday night, clinching consecutive series victories for the first time this season.
With the score tied 4-4 in the top of the 10th, Lopez punched a one-out single off Giants closer Camilo Doval (3-2) to bring home the automatic runner and give Miami a 5-4 lead. Heriberto Hernández followed by ripping a two-run double into the gap in left-center, then hustled to third on a throw to the plate. Connor Norby added insurance with a sacrifice fly to cap the inning.
The outburst backed a rollercoaster outing by Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher (3-2), who entered the ninth with a 4-2 lead but couldn’t close the door in regulation. Faucher hit two batters and walked another to load the bases before Willy Adames’ sacrifice fly cut the lead to 4-3. Giants catcher Patrick Bailey then lined a game-tying RBI single to left, but Jung Hoo Lee was thrown out at the plate on a heads-up relay from Kyle Stowers to catcher Nick Fortes, preserving the tie.
It was a back-and-forth affair from the beginning. San Francisco jumped ahead early when Mike Yastrzemski led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer off the right-field foul pole — his seventh of the season — to stake the Giants to a 1-0 lead.
Miami responded in the fourth when Lopez came through again, smacking a two-run double off Giants starter Logan Webb to put the Marlins ahead 2-1. A Norby RBI single made it 3-1 later in the inning. Webb lasted six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out six.
Edward Cabrera gave Miami 5 1/3 strong innings, limiting the Giants to just three hits and a run following Yastrzemski’s blast. He struck out five and walked two before giving way to the bullpen.
The Giants had a chance to win it in the ninth, but Norby, also flashing the leather, made a key defensive play with Bailey in scoring position, leaping to snag a screaming line drive off Christian Koss’ bat to send the game to extras.
Norby’s leaping snag of Koss’ liner in the bottom of the ninth with the potential winning run on second prevented a walk-off and set the stage for Miami’s 10th-inning heroics.
San Francisco continued to struggle with runners in scoring position, going just 2-for-9 on the night. The Giants are now a combined 8-for-59 (.136) in those situations over their last eight games.
With the win, the Marlins extended their winning streak to three games and secured a significant momentum boost as they head into the weekend.
