Luis Arraez drove in two runs, including the winning run with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly, and the Miami Marlins completed a three-game sweep of the visiting Chicago Cubs with a 4-3 victory on Sunday.
Chicago’s Keegan Thompson (1-1) opened the eighth with a walk to Jon Berti (two hits), who went to third on Jesus Sanchez’s single and scored on Arraez’s long fly ball to break a 3-3 tie. Arraez, the majors’ leading hitter at .438, also delivered a run-scoring single in the third for the Marlins, who have won four straight.
All three wins in this set came by a single run as Miami improved to 10-0 in one-run games.
After allowing four runs in 3 2/3 innings at Atlanta on Tuesday in his 2023 debut, Miami starter Bryan Hoeing yielded two runs and five hits through five against the Cubs, who stranded eight runners.
Cody Bellinger homered for a second straight game and had two RBIs, while Dansby Swanson recorded two hits with an RBI for Chicago, which is 3-7 since winning four straight and 10 of 13. Chicago starter Justin Steele entered with a 1.19 ERA but allowed season highs of three runs — two earned — and seven hits in six innings.
Chicago opened the scoring in the third as Edwin Rios doubled and eventually scored on Swanson’s two-out single. However, the Marlins answered against Steele in their half of the third.
Garrett Hampson led off with a double, went to third on Berti’s single and scored via a passed ball on Garrett Cooper’s strikeout. Arraez then gave Miami a 2-1 lead with his RBI single.
That Marlins’ edge didn’t last long as Seiya Suzuki opened the fourth with a triple via a misplayed ball by center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. Suzuki then came home on Bellinger’s sacrifice fly.
However, Hampson’s second double off Steele brought home Nick Fortes from second base with two out in the bottom of the fourth, putting Miami ahead 3-2. Chicago, though, tied it in the sixth when Bellinger greeted reliever Andrew Nardi by hitting the facing of the right-field upper-deck.
Tanner Scott (2-1) got the win for Miami.
–Field Level Media
