Red Sox Rally Past Marlins 4-2 After Late Fairbanks Exit

MIAMI — A two-run ninth inning propelled the Boston Red Sox to a 4-2 win Monday over the Miami Marlins in the series opener at loanDepot park.

Boston (72-59) trailed 2-1 entering the eighth inning before tying the game off reliever Josh Ekness, whose wild pitch brought home Wilyer Abreu.

The ninth inning quickly turned sideways for the Marlins (67-65), who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end and suffered their first loss since Aug. 19.

Ranger Suárez kept the Marlins in check early, with the left-hander limiting Miami’s offense and helping Boston stay within striking distance before the Red Sox rallied late.

Closer Pete Fairbanks, in an attempt to give the Marlins a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth, walked Mickey Gasper to open the inning.

Fairbanks then signaled to the Marlins dugout that something wasn't feeling right, prompting a member of the training staff and Marlins manager Clayton McCullough to huddle around him on the mound.

Fairbanks exited, bringing in Tyler Zuber, who allowed Anthony Seigler to hit a go-ahead triple on a ball lined over Kyle Stowers’ head and down the first-base line.

After the game, McCullough told reporters that Fairbanks was dealing with nerve irritation similar to what he experienced in Los Angeles earlier this season, which resulted in a trip to the injured list.

McCullough said Fairbanks would have the issue checked out Tuesday, when the Marlins continue their three-game series against Boston at 6:40 p.m. ET.

The bottom of the Red Sox order did most of the damage Monday against Miami pitching, including ace Sandy Alcantara, who threw seven strong innings of one-run ball and struck out six on 102 pitches.

Alcantara had two instances in which he was able to escape trouble.

Boston had runners on the corners with no outs in the third inning, but Alcantara got out of it. He also escaped a bases loaded, one-out jam in the seventh.

Miami had taken a 1-0 lead in the second inning before the Red Sox answered in the fifth.

The Marlins regained the lead in the seventh when Xavier Edwards delivered an RBI with the bases loaded and one out, putting Miami ahead 2-1.

For Miami, it's a disappointing loss after the club had won three consecutive games.

The Marlins entered Monday looking to continue building momentum, but the late collapse left them searching for a response in the second game of the series.

The loss also underscored the importance of Miami’s bullpen depth as the club navigates the final stretch of the regular season.

Fairbanks’ status will be worth monitoring after his early exit, particularly given his previous nerve-related issue.