Field Level Media
Jun 16, 2018
J.T. Realmuto homered twice and drove in four runs to lead the Miami Marlins to a 5-4 win over the host Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon.
It was the fourth career multi-homer game and the second this year for Realmuto, who went 3-for-4 and is hitting .309 with nine homers this year.
Miami has won five of its past six games. Baltimore has lost 16 of its past 18 games, including nine in a row.
Former Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (2-3) earned the win, allowing eight hits, one walk and three runs in six innings. He is 9-9 since signing a five-year, $80 million contract with Miami prior to the 2016 season.
Alex Cobb (2-9) took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits while walking two in seven innings. With more than half the season left, he is one loss from tying his career worst for defeats, set last season.
Cobb got in trouble immediately, allowing Derek Dietrich to double to right-center on the first pitch of the game. Dietrich advanced when Brian Anderson grounded out to second, and Realmuto picked up the RBI with a ground ball past the left side of a drawn-in infield.
The second inning started in similar fashion as JT Riddle doubled off the wall in left-center on the first pitch of the frame, missing a home run by a couple of feet. Riddle came around to score on a groundout by J.B. Shuck two batters later.
Miami extended its lead to 4-0 in the third. Anderson drew a one-out, four-pitch walk, and Realmuto golfed a first-pitch, low fastball to center for a two-run home run.
Baltimore cut its deficit to 4-2 in the bottom of the inning as Austin Wynns singled, Adam Jones doubled off the base of the wall in right and both runners scored on a soft single to right-center by Manny Machado.
Realmuto led off the sixth with a homer. Similar to his first homer of the game, this one went to center field, and Miami took a 5-2 lead.
Baltimore got one back on Jonathan Schoop's homer in the bottom of the sixth. It was a good sign for Schoop, who hit 32 homers and drove in 105 runs last season but has struggled this year (seven homers, 17 RBIs).
The Orioles made it 5-4 in the seventh. With two outs and none on, Jones singled to center, where Lewis Brinson's diving effort came up short. Jones came around to score on singles by Machado and Danny Valencia (RBI).
With Machado at third and two outs in the seventh, the Marlins brought in reliever Brad Ziegler, who got Trey Mancini to ground out to shortstop Riddle, who made a game-saving play going to his left.
Drew Steckenrider pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his second career save and first one this year. The game ended when Machado hit a deep drive that was caught on the warning track by Brinson in center.
--Field Level Media