Kyle Stowers provided the early power and Otto López delivered the decisive hit as the Miami Marlins edged the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Sunday afternoon, continuing their remarkable surge with an eighth consecutive home victory.
The Marlins, who own the best record in Major League Baseball during June at 14-4, relied on timely hitting and another dominant pitching performance to complete the win. Ryan Gusto and four relievers combined to limit San Francisco to just four hits as Miami continued its climb in the National League standings.
Stowers set the tone in the second inning when he launched the first pitch he saw from Giants ace Logan Webb deep into the center-field seats. The 426-foot blast was Stowers’ eighth home run of the season and gave Miami a 1-0 lead.
San Francisco answered in the third inning. Casey Schmitt, who accounted for half of the Giants’ hits with two singles, lined a run-scoring base hit to tie the game at 1-1.
The deadlock lasted only until the fourth. After drawing a two-out walk from Webb—the lone free pass issued by the Giants right-hander all afternoon—Stowers raced around from first base when López ripped a line drive into right field. The ball rolled all the way to the warning track, allowing Stowers to score easily and putting Miami ahead 2-1.
That proved to be all the offense the Marlins would need.
Gusto turned in another solid outing, allowing one run on three hits while striking out six over 4 1/3 innings. John King (4-1) picked up the victory after recording four outs in relief. Calvin Faucher followed by retiring the next four batters, and Michael Petersen delivered a perfect eighth inning to preserve Miami’s slim advantage.
Lake Bachar faced the toughest challenge in the ninth. After issuing a leadoff walk to Rafael Devers, the right-hander settled down and retired Jung Hoo Lee and Willy Adames before securing the final out to earn the first save of his major league career.
Despite taking the loss, Webb (4-5) was outstanding. The veteran right-hander scattered five hits across eight innings, throwing his first complete game of the season and the fourth of his career. Webb has now worked at least eight innings in each of his last three starts, but received little offensive support from the Giants lineup.
Before first pitch, Miami made a pair of roster moves, placing slugger Liam Hicks on the injured list with a low back strain and designating infielder Christopher Morel for assignment.
The victory capped another successful homestand for the Marlins, whose pitching staff has fueled their June turnaround and made loanDepot park a difficult destination for opponents.
San Francisco will return home to begin a three-game series against the Athletics on Tuesday, with left-hander Robbie Ray (5-6, 4.07 ERA) scheduled to start the opener. The Athletics have yet to announce their starter.
Miami opens a three-game home series against the Texas Rangers on Monday. Right-hander Tyler Phillips (1-2, 3.10 ERA) is expected to take the mound for the Marlins, while the Rangers have not announced a starter.
