MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins made sure their largest home crowd of the season didn’t go home disappointed.
Martin Prado hit a sacrifice fly that scored Harold Ramirez in the bottom of the 10th inning and Miami rallied for a 7-6 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.
Playing in front of 29,720, the Marlins erased a 6-2 deficit by scoring four in the bottom of the ninth.
“It’s been a while since we had this type of butterflies in the stomach,” Prado said. “I was so happy overall with the effort from the young guys, how they handled the pressure, the crowd was unbelievable and after the game we talked about it.”
Ramirez led off the 10th with a single off Atlanta reliever Sean Newcomb (5-2). Ramirez advanced two bases on an errant pickoff throw by Newcomb. Prado lifted a fly ball deep to left field that scored Ramirez with the winning run.
“When he got to third base I was like now what,” Prado said. “That feeling I lived and dreamed since I was just a kid to play a game like this and I’m just so happy.”
Jeff Brigham (2-1) pitched a perfect 10th for the win in a game in which 13 runs were scored after the seventh inning.
“That game was flying,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. “At first, it’s like an hour and 50-minute game, it looks like and the game is going to be over before they even get a couple beers in them. Obviously the end of the game was crazy. A pitcher’s duel early and then all of a sudden the floodgates open and runs everywhere.”
Miami tied it at 6 in the ninth when Starlin Castro hit a two-run double with the bases loaded off Atlanta reliever Shane Greene. Miami’s Isan Diaz attempted to score from first on the hit but was thrown out at the plate on shortstop Charlie Culberson’s relay throw from left-fielder Adam Duvall. A video review confirmed the call.
Braves reliever Mark Melancon started the ninth and got the first out before allowing four consecutive singles that cut Atlanta’s lead to 6-3. Greene relieved Melancon and allowed Diaz’s bases-loaded single.
In his first appearance as the Braves closer, Melancon’s ERA with his new club rose to 11.25 after Saturday’s outing. Greene, whom Melancon replaced, has given up 13 hits in four innings since Atlanta acquired him from Detroit at the trade deadline.
“Just a bad night for us and a bad night for me especially,” Melancon said. “There’s no excuse for that. I didn’t lose any confidence in myself or the bullpen. We’re going to come together really nice at a time that’s coming soon.”
Mike Sroka had another solid outing against the last-place team in the NL East. Soroka pitched seven shutout innings, allowed three hits, struck out six, and walked one. He lowered his ERA to 0.41 against Miami in 2019.
“You feel badly all along,” Soroka said of the relievers’ inability to hold the lead. “They all have a great work ethic. A game like this is going to happen, but at the same time you’re going to have games you go four or five innings and they put four or five zeroes.”
Ozzie Albies hit a two-out double off Miami starter Sandy Alcantara in the eighth that gave the Braves a 1-0 lead. In the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Albies hit a shot off Alcantara’s left heel that caromed into left field and allowed Culberson to score from second. Ronald Acuna Jr. advanced to third.
Alcantara was lifted after Albies’ hit, and Freddie Freeman drove the first pitch from reliever Jarlin Garcia into centerfield for a single that scored Acuna and Albies.
The outing was Alcantara’s longest since a similar 7 2/3 inning effort at Philadelphia on June 21. Alcantara allowed three runs, five hits, struck out six and walked two.
Curtis Granderson’s one-out pinch hit home run off Braves reliever Anthony Swarzak in the eighth got Miami to within 3-1. Luke Jackson relieved Swarzak and allowed Brian Anderson’s run-scoring single before striking out Garrett Cooper to end the inning.
Atlanta padded its lead in the ninth when Johan Camargo hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer off Miami reliever Ryne Stanek. Camargo’s blast, his fifth of the season, landed in the Braves bullpen behind the right-center field fence.
BRAVES CLUBHOUSE COVERED BY FIRE EXTINGUISHER CONTENTS
Following the game, a fire extinguisher malfunctioned by the Braves dugout and its contents penetrated the clubhouse. Braves players and coaches were not allowed to enter the clubhouse and remained in the hallway for close to 30 minutes before it cleared.
“I still have some on me,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
TRAINER’S ROOM:
Marlins: RHP Jose Ureña (herniated disc) threw his third bullpen session Friday and manager Don Mattingly said he could soon progress to a rehab start before a possible call-up next month.
UP NEXT:
Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (3-5, 6.26) will make his second start since being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett. Once cleared to pitch after beginning the season on the injured list, Foltynewicz was ineffective for most of his 11 starts and got demoted to the minors.
Marlins: RHP Hector Noesi (0-1. 9.00) will start the series finale, five days after his season debut when he allowed five runs in a five-inning effort against the New York Mets.
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