The Sports Xchange
May 16, 2017
MIAMI -- Jake Marisnick and Brian McCann each had four RBIs as the Houston Astros defeated the Miami Marlins 12-2 on Tuesday night at Marlins Park.
Dallas Keuchel (7-0) allowed four hits, no walks and two runs in five innings, his shortest outing of the year.
Keuchel, the American League's reigning Pitcher of the Month and the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, has won nine straight decisions dating to last August, tying a career high, and he has a 1.84 ERA this year.
Marisnick, who broke into the majors with the Marlins in 2013, hit a pair of two-run homers and a double. He has four homers this season, and this was the first two-homer game of his career.
McCann hit an RBI single in the first and a three-run double in the second.
All that offense helped carry the Astros, who have the best record in baseball, 28-12.
Miami (14-24) lost for the 16th time in 20 games.
The Marlins got little from starter Tom Koehler (1-2). He allowed seven hits, four walks and eight runs in three innings. It was his shortest outing of the season, and it drove his ERA up to 7.04.
Houston scored three runs in the first inning as Carlos Correa, McCann and Marwin Gonzalez all produced run-scoring singles.
Miami closed its deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the first. J.T. Realmuto had an RBI single, and Giancarlo Stanton hit a run-scoring grounder.
After hitting five singles in the first inning, the Astros used three consecutive walks to load the bases with two outs in the second. McCann then stroked his double to right, where Stanton dove for the ball but came up empty. That gave Houston a 6-2 lead.
Houston went up 8-2 in the third when Gonzalez walked and Marisnick homered to center. The same combination clicked in the fifth as Gonzalez singled and Marisnick went deep again, giving Houston a 10-2 lead.
NOTES: Miami claimed INF Christian Colon off waivers from the Kansas City Royals. The Marlins designated INF Steve Lombardozzi for assignment. Colon, 28, will report to Triple-A New Orleans, where he will be used at shortstop, second base and third. ... At 28-12, the Astros are off to the best 40-game start in team history. ... Astros 3B Marwin Gonzalez extended his hit streak to 11 games. ... Miami made four pitching acquisitions before this season, and none have worked out as hoped. LHP Jeff Locke (biceps injury) has yet to pitch. RHP Edinson Volquez is 0-5 with a 4.41 ERA, and RHPs Junichi Tazawa and Brad Ziegler have ERAs of 6.60 and 7.04, respectively. ... With Houston starting a left-hander, Miami rested two of its lefty hitters. 3B Mike Aviles replaced 3B Derek Dietrich, and 1B Tyler Moore replaced 1B Justin Bour. ... Miami is 1-7 on its homestand that ends Wednesday against Houston.