Marlins Sink Mariners For 2nd Straight Series Sweep

MIAMI — The Miami Marlins defeated the Seattle Mariners 8-4 to complete their second consecutive series sweep on Thursday. 

The Marlins (52-42) have gone from eight games under .500 and last place in the National League East at the end of May to 10 games over and tied for the second wild card spot with the Philadelphia Phillies. Miami is also three games under the Atlanta Braves for first place in the division. The Marlins have a better record than any other team in the American League, with the exception of the Tampa Bay Rays (54-37). 

The Marlins fell into an early hole in the second inning after poor defense allowed Josh Naylor to reach base, steal third, and score to put the Mariners up 1-0. 

The Marlins immediately redeemed themselves in the bottom half of the inning after Griffin Conine hit a solo home run to tie the game. Conine went 3-for-4, with only a triple missing for a cycle. 

“I’ve never been a part of a team that is this hot,” Conine said to the Marlins Radio Network after the game. “The energy that we’re playing with right now is unbelievable.”

Miami then took a 2-1 lead after an RBI double by Liam Hicks to score Jakob Marsee, who reached on a single. Marsee went 2-for-3 to raise his batting average to a single point away from .200 on the season. 

The Marlins piled on the Mariners with a four-run fourth-inning rally to go up 6-1. After a fielder’s choice resulted in no outs and a run scored, Otto Lopez drove in two runs on a triple, his sixth of the season.

“Running those bases, I’m thinking about all the good things that I’ve been doing, it’s amazing,” Lopez told Marlins.TV after the game. “I feel so excited for the team too. We’re doing pretty well.”

Lopez, who was recently announced as a National League All-Star, has set a Marlins record with 127 hits before the midsummer classic. 

“What he is putting together is truly unbelievable,” Conine said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s a really special player, really special person.”

Miami capped the fourth-inning rally with an RBI single by Kyle Stowers. The Marlins' first baseman is slashing .310/.344/.724 with four home runs and eight RBI in his last seven games. 

The Mariners provided some pop in the fifth inning with a solo home run by Randy Arozarena, his 10th of the season. It was the only earned run given up by Marlins starter Janson Junk, who went five innings in his return from the injured list, allowing two runs on three hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

Marsee singled in Conine, and a ground-out RBI by Leo Jimenez added two more runs for the Marlins in the seventh inning.

The Mariners’ last offensive gasp came on a two-run home run by Dominic Canzone, his 15th of the season, in the eighth inning. 

Mariners starting pitcher Brad Miller came into the game with an ERA under 2.00 but left with it at 2.18 after giving up six runs (four earned) on nine hits in five innings. 

“We’ve beaten a lot of really good pitchers this year,” Conine said. 

The Marlins will have two of their top starting pitchers on the mound against the Cleveland Guardians this weekend. Sandy Alcantara (10-4, 4.00 ERA) is slated to start on Friday against Parker Messick (7-5, 2.80 ERA) and the Guardians, another American League squad in playoff contention. 

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