By Zachary McMahon-
The Miami Marlins started a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Memorial Day, Monday night at Petco Park in San Diego. The Marlins won the series against the Los Angeles Angels by winning the final two games of the series, after snapping a three-game losing streak against the Angels and the Chicago Cubs. The Padres won the rubber match against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
The Marlins put Derek Hill on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist sprain, and recalled Victor Mesa Jr. from Triple-A Jacksonville.
Former Padres pitcher Ryan Weathers started for the Marlins and went 5 ⅔ innings, three hits, no earned runs, three walks, and six strikeouts. The Padres had Randy Vasquez pitch 6 ⅓ innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs, one walk, and five strikeouts.
The Marlins scored all their three runs in the first two innings, as Agustin Ramirez hit a RBI double, Connor Norby hit a RBI single and Jesus Sanchez hit a solo home run, and the Marlins lead 3-0.
Former Marlins minor leaguer Jose Iglesias started the comeback with a two-run double in the fourth inning and then Manny Machado hit a solo home run to tie the game at three.
Iglesias was walked by Tyler Phillips, but Elias Diaz, with the chance for a walk-off grounded into a double-play to end the ninth, and the game went into extras. Diaz was pinch hitting for Martin Maldonado.
Phillips went for a 1-2-3 inning in the 10th, however he did throw a wild pitch, to allow Diaz to go to third, but it was shut down when Machado flew out to end the inning.
Rookie pitcher Cade Gibson came in the 11th and Machado was at second base as the automatic runner. Gavin Sheets grounded out to third base and then Tyler Wade pinch ran for Machado at third base. After an intentional walk to Xander Boegarts, Jake Cronenworth was up and on a 1-2 pitch and the fourth of the at-bat the ball got away from rookie catcher Liam Hicks who pinch hit for Nick Fortes in the 10th inning, and Wade got into score for the walk-off victory, as the Marlins lost 4-3 in the 11th inning.
This is the second Padres walk-off victory in the last two weeks, as Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a walk-off home run on May 13 against the Los Angeles Angels.
Norby hit a single and a double, as he extended his hitting streak to a nine-game streak, which is the second longest hitting streak in the National League, behind Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies. It’s also the second longest of his young career, as in between being traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Miami Marlins, he had a 11-game hitting streak last season.
Machado walked and homered, as he’s reached multiple times in five out of the last six games, and has scored a run in four out of the last five games, and has hit safely in 20 out of the last 24 games. Boegarts singled and walked, and has reached safely in nine out of his last 11 starts.
Cronenworth walked and reached on an error, and he now has an five-game on-base streak. Iglesias had a double and a single, and has a hit in each of his last four starts.
Jackson Merrill hit a single in the first inning, and had collected a hit in four out of the last five games.
Otto Lopez hit an infield single in the first, making it a 11-game on-base streak since April 27th, as he was activated off the 10-day injured list on May 18.
Mesa Jr. made his major league debut, after coming in as a defensive replacement at center field for Ronny Simon in the seventh inning, as Javier Sanoja took over second base after pinch hitting for Matt Mervis. Eric Wagaman moved from left field to first base and Kyle Stowers moved from center to left field. Mesa Jr struck out looking in the 10th inning.
Graham Pauley would take over center field for Mesa Jr. in the 11th inning. Pauley played 13 games with San Diego last season before being traded to the Marlins before last season’s trade deadline.
Ramirez has now reached safely in each of his last five games, and has scored in four of those games. He’s the third Marlins hitter to have 17 or more extra base hits in his first 29 games with the team with Justin Ruggiano in 2012 and Charles Johnson in 2001 each having 17. Ramirez leads National League rookies in doubles with his 11th, which the top three in the National League are all Marlins players with Wagaman with 10 and Griffin Conine with seven. He’s tied with the Athletics Jacob Wilson for the rookie lead in the MLB.
Simon is on a six-game on-base streak with a single and a walk.
The teams will face other in the second game of the series on Tuesday night at 9:40 pm with Max Meyer and Stephen Kolek taking the mound for the Marlins and Padres respectively.
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