Jorge Soler’s pinch-hit home run, a two-run shot in the seventh inning, lifted the host Miami Marlins to a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.
Soler connected off of Giants starter Logan Webb (0-4), who allowed eight hits and four runs in 6 2/3 innings. Prior to that at-bat, Soler had gone 0-for-10 with seven strikeouts and one walk in his career against Webb.
Miami has won five of its past six games. San Francisco has lost four straight.
Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo escaped with a no-decision after he allowed six hits, two walks and three runs in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six.
However, four Marlins relievers held the Giants to one hit, one walk and no runs over the final 4 2/3 innings. A.J. Puk pitched the ninth to earn his second save of the year. Reliever Matt Barnes (1-0) got the win.
San Francisco opened the scoring with two out in the second inning as Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos lined doubles over the head of left fielder Bryan De La Cruz.
The Giants made it 3-0 in the third. With one out, Wilmer Flores singled and Darin Ruf walked. With two outs, David Villar smoked an 0-2 fastball to right-center for a two-run double. The pitch came in at 97 mph and had an exit velocity of 102.
Miami cut its deficit to 3-1 in the bottom of the third. Jesus Sanchez began the inning with an opposite-field double to left center and scored on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s ground-ball single to center.
The Marlins made it 3-2 in the sixth. Chisholm singled, advanced on a Garrett Cooper groundout and scored on Luis Arraez’s single to right. Arraez somehow connected on an 0-2 changeup that was well below the strike zone.
Miami finally grabbed the lead in the seventh, starting the rally with singles by Jean Segura and Sanchez. The Giants brought the infield in, and it worked initially as Nick Fortes bounced into a double play, with Segura holding at third.
But Soler clobbered an 0-1 slider that was down the middle. The ball traveled 413 feet to center for his second career pinch hit homer and his first since 2015.
–Field Level Media