Marlins Shock Orioles With Walk-off Win to Avoid Series Sweep

MIAMI — The Miami Marlins snapped a four-game losing streak and defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 to avoid a series sweep on Thursday at loanDepot park.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the game tied, Javier Sanoja hit a ground ball to third baseman Coby Mayo, who bobbled the ball and threw it past first baseman Pete Alonso, leading to Joe Mack to score the winning run.

Mack came in later in the game as a defensive replacement at catcher and came through with a double in his only plate appearance. The rookie catcher is 3-for-10 in his first four games as a big leaguer.

Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer in the first inning to set the tone for the Fightin’ Fish and give Miami a 2-0 lead. He took an 88.3 MPH slider from Baltimore southpaw Cade Povich deep to right-center field for his ninth home run of the season.

The Orioles cut the Marlins’ lead in half at the top of the third. Coby Mayo reached base on a single to shortstop and Jeremiah Jackson drew a walk. That set the table for an RBI single by Gunner Henderson to put Baltimore on the board, 2-1.

The Marlins negated Baltimore’s process in the bottom half of the third inning with a run of their own. Sanjoa led off the inning with a walk and Otto Lopez singled to advance him to third base. Connor Norby drove Sanoja home on a ground ball single to left field.

The Orioles would not go quietly. Samuel Basallo led off the fourth inning with a double to center field and scored on a Tyler O’Neill single to make it a 3-2 game.

The Orioles rallied in the eighth inning to tie the game 3-3. Taylor Ward led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a single by Dylan Beavers. Alonso came through with an RBI single to score Ward.

Max Meyer went five innings for the Marlins with two runs allowed on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 94 pitches. Calvin Faucher earned the win with a scoreless ninth inning. Marlins rookie pitcher Josh Ekness gave up the first run of his short big league career in the eighth inning.

Game 2: Orioles 7, Marlins 4

Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer to set the tone for the Orioles in a 7-4 win over the Marlins on Wednesday at loanDepot park. It was the “Polar Bear’s” only hit of the game, but he made it count. A walk and a hit-by-pitch set the stage for his blast in the first inning. 

The Marlins fought back in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game. After back-to-back fly outs to lead off the inning, Connor Norby reached on a walk and Kyle Stowers singled to spark the rally. 

Jakob Marsee drove them home on a two-run double, and later scored on a sharp single by Owen Caissie to make it a 3-3 game. 

The Orioles took back the lead in the fourth inning and never looked back. Leody Taveras hit a two-out double and scored on a ground-rule double by Dylan Beavers to put Baltimore up 4-3. 

Pérez nearly escaped the fifth inning unscathed, but Taylor Ward drew a walk on a 3-2 count. He then scored on a double to right field by Adley Rutschman, extending the Orioles’ lead to 5-3. 

Eury Pérez went five innings with five runs allowed on four hits, five walks, and six strikeouts. 

Much like the fifth inning, Ward drew a walk and Rutschman struck again in the seventh inning on an RBI double. Rutschman finished with a 2-for-3 night to raise his batting average to .313 on the season. 

After being suppressed for five straight innings, the Marlins scratch across a run in the seventh inning. Otto Lopez hit a pinch-hit double to lead off the inning and scored after a pair of outs drove him home. 

The Orioles scored their final run in the eighth inning. Samuel Basallo singled to lead off the inning. He then scored on an RBI triple by Blaze Alexander. 

Dax Fulton went four innings in relief for his Major League Debut. He allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts. 

Game 1: Orioles 9, Marlins 7

Sandy Alcantara was ambushed by Baltimore’s bats as the Marlins opened the series with a 9-7 loss. The Orioles got to Alcantara in the first inning. Pete Alonso drove in two runs on a double to left field and scored on a double by Basallo.

Alcantara finished with seven runs allowed on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 4.1 innings for the Marlins.

The Marlins scored their first run of the game as Xavier Edwards scored on a wild pitch by Baltimore pitcher Chris Bassitt. Xavier Edwards led off the inning with a single. 

The Marlins tied the game 3-3 in the second inning on a two-run single by Liam Hicks. The Marlins set the table up with a hit-by-pitch and two walks to load the bases. 

The game was tied 7-7 entering the ninth inning. With runners at scoring position, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz made the bold move to pinch hit for Samuel Basallo with Adley Rutschman facing Miami left-handed relief pitcher Andrew Nardi. 

The move paid off as Rutschman drove in the go-ahead run on a single to left field, followed by an RBI base hit by Leody Taveras. 

A sliding catch by Taveras prevented the Marlins from taking the lead. The Orioles took back the lead on a two-run single by Basallo to go up 5-3 in the third inning. 

Marlins rookie catcher Joe Mack drove in a run on a single for his first Major League hit. singles on a line drive to left fielder Taylor Ward. Kyle Stowers scores. Connor Norby to 2nd. 5-4

Basallo drove in another run on a triple in the fifth inning. He later scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Colton Cowser to add to Baltimore’s lead at 7-4. Basallo was a home run away from a cycle. 

The Marlins cut the Orioles’ lead to 7-6 in the seventh inning on back-to-back solo home runs by Liam Hicks and Otto Lopez. Esteury Ruiz came into the game as a pinch runner and scored the tying run in the eighth after stealing third base, which led to a throwing error from Basallo.