Marlins rebound after shaky first inning for come-from-behind victory against the Cubs

The Miami Marlins had something rolling. Sandy Alcantara settled in enough after a rough first inning that had the Marlins playing catchup early. The offense put together enough to bail out their starter and tie the game. The defense made enough plays to keep the game competitive.

And when they made it to the ninth, they did just enough to start a seven-game road trip with a win.

The Marlins scored three runs in the ninth and held off a rally attempt in the bottom half of the frame to defeat the Chicago Cubs 6-5 on Monday night to open a four-game series at Wrigley Field. The Marlins (10-24) won their second game in the last nine attempts and snapped the Cubs’ seven-game win streak in the process.

“It’s good,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “I know how it looks, when you’re home and you’re not winning and it looks like you’re not playing with energy or effort, but these guys have been working and continuing forward. Everyone did a nice job tonight.”

It all culminated with a complete effort in the ninth inning.

Down 4-3, Curtis Granderson and Jon Berti led off with back-to-back walks against Cubs reliever Pedro Strop. Neil Walker followed with a single to load the bases. Rosell Herrera then drew the third walk of the frame to bring Granderson home, tying the game and forcing a pitching change. Miguel Rojas gave the Marlins the lead on an RBI groundout before Martin Prado provided a much-needed insurance run when he hit a groundball back to Ryan, who threw to first on the force out despite having Walker in a potential run-down between third and home.

“I was on contact,” Walker said. “As soon as it hits, even if it’s a line drive to the third baseman, we’re taking the gamble right there. I saw it hit and as soon as it was hit, I’m gone. If he catches it and throws it home, I’d just try to stay in the rundown as long as I can to get the hitter to second. I guess he thought maybe there were two outs. I have no idea. ... It turned out to be a big run.”

Sergio Romo earned his sixth save in as many opportunities, his lone blemish a solo home run to Kris Bryant.

But for the majority of the game, the Marlins had to play from behind.

The Cubs (19-13) did most of their damage in the first inning, when they attacked Alcantara for three runs on four hits — including a two-run home run by Parkland native and Stoneman Douglas alumnus Anthony Rizzo, the 200th of his career. The 23-year-old starter threw 40 pitches before getting out of the frame.

What felt like the dagger came in the sixth, right after Alcantara exited the game. Tyler Kinley gave up back-to-back walks to Willson Contreras and Jayson Heyward before being pulled in favor of Nick Anderson. Anderson walked David Bote to load the bases and then gave up the go-ahead run on a Kyle Schwarber single that barely went over Starlin Castro’s glove and dropped into shallow right field.

In between, the Marlins did just about as much as they could to keep the game competitive. They scored two runs in the third on a Brian Anderson RBI double and a Castro sac fly that respectively scored Rojas and Prado. Berti hit his first career major-league home run to tie the game in the sixth.

The defense turned double plays in four consecutive innings, the first three erasing leadoff walks from Alcantara and the fourth limiting the damage in the sixth inning to just one run.

“We probably dodged some bullets tonight,” Mattingly said.

And then, in the ninth, they completed the rally.

“Everybody fought,” Rojas said.

The Marlins did just enough.

Denbo report

A report surfaced Monday morning that casts a dark shadow on Miami Marlins director of player development and scouting Gary Denbo, who was brought in by Marlins CEO Derek Jeter one week after Jeter and Bruce Sherman took over the franchise.

According to an in-depth article by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Denbo “engaged in verbal abuse, fat shaming and blatant favoritism toward certain Marlins personnel.”

The article goes on to contend that despite his prowess on the baseball side and his ability to bolster farm systems like he did vack with the Yankees and is attempting to do with the Marlins, Denbo, to put it in the simplest terms, “is not a people person, and at times does not play well with others.”

Denbo was also cited as the primary reason for the franchise parting ways with their former Class A affiliate in Greensboro, North Carolina, because he did not like the fact that the club’s bat dogs were in the locker room. According to the report, Denbo “demanded that they be removed, berating a clubhouse attendant, a longtime employee of the team who is in his 50s.”

Denbo and Jeter’s relationship goes back to 1992, when Denbo was Jeter’s manager in, coincidentally, Greensboro.

Gausman suspended

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kevin Gausman was handed a five-game suspension following his attempt to hit Marlins pitcher Jose Urena with a pitch in the Braves’ 7-2 win over the Marlins on Friday at Marlins Park.

The 97.1 mph fastball caused Urena to hop out of the box. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson quickly trotted to the mound and tossed Gausman from the game. It was his second career ejection.

The quick retaliation stemmed from Urena’s last start against the Braves on Aug. 15, 2018, when he plunked Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. with a 97 mph fastball on his first pitch of the game and caused both benches to clear. MLB suspended Urena the following day.

This and that

▪ Two Marlins pitchers on the 60-day Injured List have made positive progress in their rehab. Julian Fernandez (Tommy John) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session in Jupiter, while Riley Ferrell (biceps tendinitis) has continued his throwing progression. Neither has played for the Marlins yet this season.

▪ Meanwhile, outfielder/first baseman Garrett Cooper, back on the IL for the second time this season, has begun his hitting progression. The Marlins indicated that he will return to the big-league club as soon as he is ready.

▪ Outfielder Curtis Granderson, a Blue Island, Illinois, native and University of Illinois at Chicago alum, is playing at his hometown Wrigley Field for the first time since July 2016.

This story was originally published May 6, 2019 at 11:33 PM.