Luis Arraez went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .401, leading the host Miami Marlins to their fifth straight win, a 6-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.
Arraez, who won an American League batting title last year for the Minnesota Twins, scored two runs and drove in one. He leads the majors in batting average.
Miami also got a three-run double from Bryan De La Cruz and a solo home run from Jesus Sanchez.
Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo (5-4) tossed seven innings and allowed one run on two hits and no walks with eight strikeouts.
Royals starter Zack Greinke (1-6) gave up four hits and five runs, one earned, in 4 1/3 innings. He fanned three without issuing a walk.
Miami broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning. Sanchez started the frame with his 379-foot homer to the opposite field in left.
From there, the Marlins loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Joey Wendle and Jean Segura and a fielder’s-choice grounder on which no one was retired. Arraez picked up on RBI single to make it 2-0, and with two outs, De La Cruz hit a 101 mph line drive just over the glove of right fielder MJ Melendez to clear the bases.
Kansas City got on the board with one run in the sixth as Nick Pratto hit a leadoff double, advanced on a Matt Duffy groundout and scored on a Luzardo wild pitch.
With two outs in the seventh, the Marlins mounted another rally. Arraez singled, advanced on a Jorge Soler walk and scored after the second straight wild pitch from Royals reliever Jackson Kowar.
The Royals threatened in the ninth as Drew Waters and Bobby Witt Jr. singled against Miami reliever Bryan Hoeing. However, Vinnie Pasquantino grounded out to end the game.
Miami will go for its second straight three-game sweep on Wednesday. That contest will conclude Miami’s run of six straight home games against the teams with the two worst records in the major leagues, the Oakland A’s and the Royals.
–Field Level Media