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First Posted: 4/27/2013
(AP) David DeJesus hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning to help lift the Chicago Cubs to a 3-2 win over the struggling Miami Marlins on Saturday night.
Travis Wood (2-1) pitched six innings allowing two runs and struck out five for Chicago, which has won four of five.
Three relievers held the lead to get to Kevin Gregg, who pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.
Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit his first home run of the season, an estimated 472-foot drive over the left-field scoreboard. Miguel Olivo also homered for Miami, which dropped to 5-19, the worst record in baseball.
A crowd of 27,519 was on hand at Marlins Park, the most since the home opener on April 8 against Atlanta, and a substantial increase from the 17,325 they have averaged since then.
Welington Castillo led off the seventh with a single off Alex Sanabia (2-3), who retired the next two batters before being lifted in favor of Mike Dunn. Dunn walked Julio Borbon before DeJesus singled up the middle to score Castillo for a 3-2 lead.
Sanabia allowed three runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings.
Miami threatened in the seventh when the first two batters reached base off of Kameron Loe, but Olivo bounced into a double play as Anthony Rizzo made a nice scoop at first base for the second out. Loe got out of the inning when Chris Valaika flew out to right.
Austin Kearns had an opportunity to tie it in the eighth against Carlos Marmol. With runners on first and second, Kearns hit a sharp grounder that shortstop Starlin Castro made a diving stop to his left and used a backhand flip to second base for a forceout to end the inning.
DeJesus scored the Cubs first run when he doubled leading off the game, advanced to third on an error by Stanton in right field, and scored on a wild pitch.
Stanton tied it in the bottom half with his first home run since Oct. 1, a span of 72 at-bats.
Luis Valbuena hit an RBI single in the second, which was matched by Olivo’s home run.
NOTES: Cubs RF Nate Schierholtz made a diving catch near the foul line in the sixth inning to take an extra-base hit away from Stanton. … Chicago starters have a 3.02 ERA, which ranks second in the National League only trailing St. Louis. … Marlins SS Adeiny Hechavarria (shoulder) will begin a two-game rehab assignment with Class-A Jupiter on Monday and is expected to be ready to play with the big league club on May 2 when he is eligible to come off of the disabled list. … The Cubs will send RHP Carlos Villanueva (1-0, 1.53 ERA) to the mound for Sunday’s series finale and the Marlins will counter with RHP Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 3.81 ERA), who is 4-2 with a 2.85 ERA against the team that drafted him in 2001.
Associated Press