Jesus Sanchez drove in four runs and Jesus Luzardo pitched six scoreless innings, leading the host Miami Marlins to a 15-2 drubbing over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
The Marlins improved to 13-5 over their past 18 home games. Their 15 runs mark a season high.
Sanchez went 3-for-6, including a three-run homer. Garrett Cooper went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a homer, and Jorge Soler went 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBIs and two doubles for the Marlins.
Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez, who leads the majors with a .387 batting average, went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs.
Luzardo (7-5) earned the win, extending his streak to 22 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. He struck out eight Cardinals, allowing five hits and two walks.
The Cardinals, who have lost five of their past seven games, managed nine hits. But four of those hits came in the ninth against Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings, who was put in to save Miami’s pitching staff.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (3-4) lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits, two walks and seven runs (four earned) with three strikeouts.
Miami pitchers held Cardinals stars Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt to a combined 1-for-6.
The Marlins opened the scoring in the first as Arraez singled, Soler doubled and Sanchez lofted a 418-foot homer to center with one out. Sanchez hit a first-pitch curve.
Cooper’s 398-foot homer to right-center extended Miami’s lead to 4-0 in the third.
The Marlins made it 7-0 in a fourth inning keyed by Cooper’s line-drive, two-run single just over the glove of shortstop Paul DeJong.
Miami extended its lead to 11-0 in the seventh on RBI singles by Dane Myers and Sanchez, and Soler’s two-run double. It was Myers’ first major league hit.
Marlins center fielder Jonathan Davis was injured in the fifth inning while chasing Tommy Edman’s double. Davis left the game due to a contusion on his right knee and was replaced by Myers, a veteran minor-leaguer.
The Marlins capped their scoring with three runs in the eighth, highlighted by Jon Berti’s two-run double.
St. Louis finally got on the board in the ninth inning, scoring twice against Stallings.
–Field Level Media
