Marlins squeeze past Cubs in ninth

[May 07, 2019]  Rosell Herrera, Miguel Rojas and Martin Prado drove in runs in the top of the ninth inning, and the Miami Marlins rallied for a 6-5 win over the host Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

Jon Berti homered and Brian Anderson and Starlin Castro knocked in one run apiece for Miami, which snapped a three-game losing streak and won for only the second time in its past nine contests.

Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run home run and Kris Bryant clubbed a solo home run to lead Chicago. The defeat snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Cubs, who entered the game with 16 wins in their past 20 contests.

Marlins reliever Adam Conley (1-3) earned the win with one scoreless inning. He gave up one hit and struck out one for his third scoreless appearance in a row after a miserable start to the season.

Cubs reliever Pedro Strop (1-2) took the loss after blowing his second save opportunity in seven chances. Strop gave up three runs by surrendering one hit and three walks without retiring a batter in the ninth.
 

Sergio Romo earned his sixth save despite allowing Bryant's homer in the ninth.

Miami trailed 4-3 before its unlikely comeback in the top of the ninth. Curtis Granderson and Berti drew back-to-back walks, and pinch hitter Neil Walker loaded the bases with a single to right field.

Herrera drew a bases-loaded walk from Strop to even the score at 4. Rojas followed with a groundout to second that scored Berti and put the Marlins on top for good.

In the next at-bat, Walker scored on an inning-ending, double-play grounder by Prado, pitcher to first to third. The final out was made via tag rather than force play, and Walker crossed the plate before Herrera was tagged out and thus his run counted.

Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (40) hands the game ball to Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (46) in the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

The Cubs jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first.

Ben Zobrist hit a leadoff single to left field and scored on Rizzo's 410-foot, one-out blast to center field. It was Rizzo's ninth homer of the season and his fifth in the past eight games. The shot also marked the 200th homer of the 29-year-old's career.

Willson Contreras drove in the third run of the inning when he singled to shallow left field.

The Marlins sliced the deficit to 3-2 in the third. Anderson hit an RBI double to score Rojas, and Castro -- the former Cubs shortstop -- hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to bring in Prado.

A solo home run by Berti -- the first long ball of his career -- evened the score at 3 in the sixth.

Chicago loaded the bases on three walks with no outs in the sixth for Kyle Schwarber, who looped a single into right field to put his team on top 4-3.

Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (five innings) and Cubs starter Cole Hamels (six innings) each gave up three runs.

--Field Level Media

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