Stallings performs the hero with bases-clearing double to ship comeback win

MIAMI — One couldn’t blame the Marlins if the thought, “Here we go again,” crossed their minds as quickly because the Braves erased an early four-run deficit throughout Friday evening’s matchup at mortgageDepot park.

The National League East champion Braves have had the Marlins’ quantity in current reminiscence, particularly this yr. Entering the sequence opener, Atlanta had gained 9 of 10 and outscored Miami, 83-29.

The Marlins took a step in exorcising that mentality when Jacob Stallings knocked the go-ahead bases-clearing double in a five-run seventh and Luis Arraez recorded his first profession multihomer sport in a 9-6 comeback win. Miami remained a half-game again of Arizona and Cincinnati for the third NL Wild Card spot.

“I just kind of had a feeling I was going to get it done,” Stallings mentioned. “It’s kind of funny. I looked at where the left fielder was [the] pitch before the hit. I don’t know why. I just looked out there and just felt like I was going to get it done, so it’s just really cool to come through for the guys, and obviously, [a] huge game for us.”

Miami scored simply 5 runs in a four-game sequence in Milwaukee, the place the membership misplaced three of 4, however the lineup matched that complete in opposition to relievers Pierce Johnson and Brad Hand within the seventh. Like so many occasions earlier than, Arraez set the tone. He led off the three-run first and the seventh with line-drive homers over the right-field wall.

“I want to say thanks [to] God,” mentioned Arraez, whose 9 homers in 2023 are a brand new single-season excessive. “I never hit two homers in my career here in MLB. I hit [two] in the [World] Baseball Classic, but that one doesn’t count. It counts for my country, but it’s amazing. I hit two homers. I never feel like what I feel right now. I don’t try to hit homers, and then I did it.”

Following two outs, Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Garrett Hampson, who had changed Bryan De La Cruz (proper ankle discomfort) earlier within the sport, drove him in with a double off Hand. An intentional stroll and hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Stallings, who laced a double down the left-field line to make it a 9-6 ballgame.

Since Aug. 18, Stallings has collected eight of his 20 RBIs this season. He additionally has seven doubles throughout this 16-game stretch, doubling his complete from the earlier 62 video games.

Before this span, would he have come by within the clutch?

“I don’t know. That’s a good question,” Stallings mentioned. “In Pittsburgh, it is sort of simply what I did. I simply received huge hits and simply knew I used to be going to get huge hits. And whenever you get huge hits, you’ve got extra confidence in these conditions. So I’ve been extra assured in these conditions recently, and by chance, [I’ve been] capable of come by.

“But I think confidence comes with good results a lot of times, so just coming through obviously helps.”

Stallings’ heroics made supervisor Skip Schumaker’s aggressive pull of veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto after simply 4 innings and 70 pitches the correct one. With Miami clinging to a 4-3 benefit, he determined in opposition to Cueto going through the center of the order for a 3rd time. Despite the Marlins going with a bullpen sport on Saturday, he needed to provide the offense an opportunity to claw again — one thing it did.

While JT Chargois permitted a then-game-tying sacrifice fly to Eddie Rosario within the fifth and David Robertson surrendered a then-go-ahead two-run single to Ozzie Albies within the sixth, A.J. Puk, Andrew Nardi and Tanner Scott tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings the remainder of the way in which.

“Coming back against a team like that just shows you kind of the growth of our team and the belief they have in there, that they really believe that they can do this thing,” Schumaker mentioned. “And again, just whatever happens, I’m super proud of the fight that they have.”