Hicks' powerful homer wasn't enough as a late-inning collapse and walk-off single sealed the Marlins' heartbreaking defeat.
The Miami Marlins could not maintain their slim lead and fell 5-4 to the the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker, who signed a two-year, $115 million contract this past offseason (2028-29 player option), delivered in the ninth inning with a walk-off two-run single with two outs. Tucker is slashing .236/.320/.364 with 15 RBI in the first 28 games of his Dodgers tenure.
Shohei Ohtani put the Dodgers within one run with a ground-rule RBI double in the ninth. An intentional walk loaded the bases and Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks exited the game with an "unusual sensation" in his right thumb, manager Clayton McCullough told the media afterwards.
"He was shaking his hand a little bit and somebody mentioned it's worth to go out there and just take a look and see if there was anything to it," McCullough said during his postgame press conference. "He did mention something about his thumb, and so at that point definitely you lean on the side of caution and just come in and get him evaluated and see what comes."
Marlins reliever Tyler Phillips struck out Will Smith to set up the two-out matchup with Tucker.
Dodgers reliever Jake Elder, whom the Marlins drafted in 2020 but traded in 2023, earned the win for Los Angeles (20-9). Fairbanks was charged for the loss, after allowing three runners to score on three walks and a hit. The rest of the Marlins bullpen gave up only two hits with four strikeouts in three scoreless innings leading up to the ninth.
The Marlins (13-16) gained a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning off a three-run home run by Liam Hicks. It was his sixth home run of the season, which matches his rookie total from last year. Jakob Marsee and Xavier Edwards each reached base on a walk to set up Hicks’ blast.
“As a whole, against one of the best starting pitchers in this league, our guys just grinded out at-bats and gave ourselves some chances,” McCullough said.
The Marlins got on the board in the fourth inning. Otto Lopez led off the rally with a double, Edwards walked and Agustin Ramirez singled to load the bases. Lopez scored after Javier Sanoja reached on a fielding error, but it was the only run the Marlins could muster in that inning.
The Dodgers struck in the first inning on a two-run single by Teoscar Hernandez, scoring Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, who each led off the inning with a single.
Chris Paddack went four innings to start the game for the Marlins, allowing two runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout.
"The third time through certainly factored in," McCullough said on ending Paddack’s night after four innings. "Chris is a real pro and competitor. He wanted to go back out there and just explained my rationale for why I felt our best path tonight was to turn it over and pass it along.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts in five innings for the Dodgers.
Marsee went 2-for-3 with a double. He was the only Miami batter with multiple hits.
Ohtani went 3-for-5 with a double as the only Dodger to collect multiple hits.
The Marlins will look to force a rubber match on Tuesday with Janson Junk (1-2, 3.67 ERA) on the mound. The Dodgers will turn to Ohtani (2-0, 0.38 ERA) to try to clinch the series.
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