Lourdes Gurriel Jr. played a pivotal role in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 10-8 comeback win against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night, driving in four crucial runs. His game-changing performance included a pinch-hit, go-ahead three-run double in the seventh inning, propelling the Diamondbacks to victory.
Jake McCarthy and Geraldo Perdomo also contributed with home runs, as the Diamondbacks completed a sweep of the three-game series. Since July 1, Arizona boasts a league-best 31-13 record.
“It feels like every night, someone steps up,” McCarthy said. “There’s a strong belief here that even if we’re behind late, we’re not really out of it. Our lineup, top to bottom, finds a way to make something happen every game.”
Trailing 6-3, the Diamondbacks mounted a rally against Marlins relievers Jesús Tinoco and Andrew Nardi (3-2). Josh Bell’s RBI single closed the gap to 6-4 before Gurriel delivered his clutch bases-clearing double to center field.
“He’s an exceptional pinch hitter,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo. “He steps up in big moments, and tonight was no different.”
Gurriel was brought in to pinch-hit for Miami native Adrian Del Castillo, who had already collected two singles in the game. Despite some discontent from Del Castillo’s family and friends in the stands, the decision paid off.
“There were some tough decisions to make, but I wanted to ensure we had the right resources available,” Lovullo explained. “Pulling Del Castillo was difficult, but it worked out in our favor.”
https://x.com/Dbacks/status/1826439409614704677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1826439409614704677%7Ctwgr%5E878d9560d4bd3e8ba457382fff5bdfb181501b4c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fox10phoenix.com%2Fsports%2Fgurriel-drives-four-runs-leads-diamondbacks-10-8-win-over-marlins
Perdomo extended Arizona’s lead with a solo homer in the eighth inning, and José Herrera added a run-scoring triple in the ninth, later scoring on Gurriel’s RBI single.
Dylan Floro (5-3) earned the win by securing the final out in the sixth inning, followed by a perfect seventh from Kevin Ginkel. Joe Mantiply allowed an RBI double to Vidal Brujan in the eighth, narrowing the score to 8-7. Justin Martinez then stepped in, striking out Xavier Edwards and retiring Jake Burger to escape the jam.
The Marlins loaded the bases against Martinez in the ninth inning, but only managed to score one run on a wild pitch. Martinez secured his fifth save by striking out Kyle Stowers and David Hensley to end the game.
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker was ejected in the eighth inning after arguing a called third strike on Edwards, a decision that further frustrated Miami in the loss.
Burger had an impressive night for the Marlins, hitting his 25th home run of the season and 15th since the All-Star break. Despite his efforts, Miami has now lost six of their last seven games, dropping to an NL-worst 46-81.
“Offensively, we did well, but giving away seven free passes against a good-hitting team hurt us,” Schumaker said. “We couldn’t hold onto the lead late, and that cost us.”
The Marlins had initially taken control with a four-run fourth inning against Diamondbacks starter Jordan Montgomery. Cristian Pache’s two-run homer and Edwards’ RBI triple highlighted the rally. Montgomery struggled, allowing six runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings.
“I felt like I was executing good pitches, but they were putting together tough at-bats,” Montgomery said. “I’m just glad I was able to go deep enough into the game.”
Earlier, McCarthy had given Arizona a lead with a two-run homer off Marlins starter Roddery Muñoz in the third inning. Muñoz was pulled after surrendering three runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Burger’s two-run blast in the first inning had given Miami their first lead of the series, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the surging Diamondbacks, who managed to get on the board in the first with Pavin Smith’s sacrifice fly.
Leave a Reply