Kyle Tucker was the star Friday, hitting a two-out grand slam in the seventh inning to lead the Dodgers to a comfortable 6-2 win over the Marlins.
MIAMI — Blake Snell held the Miami Marlins to one run over 5 2/3 innings, but Kyle Tucker drove in five runs to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-2 win Friday at loanDepot park.
Tucker’s grand slam into the Dodgers’ bullpen came in the seventh inning after reliever Victor Vodnik, who replaced Ryan Gusto, walked Mookie Betts to load the bases with two outs.
Vodnik got the first two outs but struggled from there, prompting Marlins manager Clayton McCullough to bring in left-hander Cade Gibson.
Gibson's first batter was Tucker, who delivered the knockout punch in front of a huge crowd of Dodgers fans.
The loss dropped Miami to 1-6 on its current nine-game homestand. The Marlins (72-76) lost two of three games against the Chicago Cubs before being swept in a three-game series by the New York Mets earlier this week.
McCullough faced his former team, with McCullough now in his second season leading Miami.
Snell allowed four hits and two walks while striking out eight in his 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander worked out of trouble when needed and kept Miami from putting together a sustained threat during his outing.
Los Angeles gave Snell all the support he needed in the third inning. Tommy Edman reached base to start the rally and eventually moved to third, putting the Dodgers in position to take the lead.
Tucker followed with a sacrifice fly that brought Edman home for a 1-0 advantage. The Dodgers added another run later in the game when Smith delivered an RBI in the sixth inning, extending the lead to 2-0.
Miami's offense struggled to generate opportunities against Los Angeles pitching. The Marlins managed only four hits against Snell and could not produce a timely hit when they had chances to get on the scoreboard.
The Dodgers also did not have a big offensive night outside of Tucker, but their ability to capitalize on limited opportunities proved to be enough.
After Snell left the game, the Dodgers turned to right-hander Evan Phillips, who allowed a two-out RBI double to Agustín Ramírez in the sixth inning, cutting Los Angeles' lead to 2-1.
For Miami, the defeat added to a difficult stretch at home and likely made it three consecutive years of missing the playoffs.
Miami entered play 6 1/2 games behind the final National League Wild Card spot, with three games remaining against both Arizona and San Diego on the club’s final road trip of the season.
The Marlins will send right-hander Tyler Phillips (5-6, 3.51 ERA) to the mound opposite Tyler Glasnow (4-0, 3.12 ERA) on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET.
