Marlins catcher Agustín Ramírez came through with a tiebreaking, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Miami Marlins past the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Saturday afternoon at loanDepot park.
Ramírez, who continues to impress in his first full MLB season, lined a two-strike pitch into left field with the bases loaded and two outs to break a 2-2 tie. The 24-year-old catcher now has 37 RBIs on the year — the most among National League rookies — and delivered the game’s biggest swing after the Brewers flirted with escaping a jam.
The Marlins have now won 10 of their last 12 games, riding a strong run of clutch hitting and effective relief pitching.
Miami’s decisive rally began when Dane Myers and Javier Sanoja started the bottom of the eighth with back-to-back singles off Brewers reliever Nick Mears (1-2). Xavier Edwards followed with a perfectly placed bunt that rolled fair down the third-base line for an infield hit, loading the bases with no outs.
Lefty Jared Koenig entered and nearly pulled Milwaukee out of trouble, striking out Connor Norby and forcing Otto López into a fielder’s choice at home. But with two outs and the count working against him, Ramírez ripped a line drive to left to drive in Myers and Edwards, electrifying the home crowd.
The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the second on Rhys Hoskins’ RBI triple, but Kyle Stowers answered in the bottom half with a towering solo homer to right-center — his team-leading 16th of the year. Stowers’ blast left the bat at 112.4 mph, the hardest-hit home run of his career.
Later in the inning, Liam Hicks gave Miami the lead with a run-scoring double, but the Brewers tied it up again in the fourth on Isaac Collins’ RBI single.
Ronny Henríquez (5-1) earned the win with a perfect eighth inning, continuing a stretch of dependable bullpen work for Miami. Lake Bachar needed just eight pitches to retire the side in the ninth and secure his first career save.
Starter Cal Quantrill went 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Brewers starter Chad Patrick gave up two runs in five innings while striking out three.
Milwaukee’s Rhys Hoskins left the game in the fifth inning with discomfort in his left thumb after awkwardly stepping off the bag to make a tag at first base. His status for Sunday’s series finale remains uncertain.
The Brewers will send All-Star right-hander Brandon Woodruff to the mound on Sunday for his long-awaited 2025 season debut after recovering from shoulder surgery. The Marlins will counter with right-hander Edward Cabrera (3-2, 3.41 ERA), who’s coming off one of his best starts of the year.
Ramírez’s two-out, two-strike single in the eighth inning to break the tie. Kyle Stowers’ 16th home run had an exit velocity of 112.4 mph — the hardest-hit homer of his career.
