Rojas, Marlins break loose, top Rockies 7-3 for 1st win

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This article was published 30/03/2019 (2438 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MIAMI – Hits were difficult to come by in Miami’s first two regular season games. The early offensive malaise finally ended Saturday night.

Miguel Rojas and Martin Prado each had three hits, and the Marlins won for the first time this season, beating the Colorado Rockies 7-3.

Limited to a total of six hits in a pair of losses to Colorado earlier this week, the Marlins broke loose for 16 hits against starter Tyler Anderson and four relievers.

“We put things together today,” Rojas said. “We’re not going to depend on the three-run homer. That’s for sure. But if it happens, it will be great.”

It wasn’t even the biggest loss of the day for Colorado. First baseman Daniel Murphy, signed to a two-year deal during the off-season, said after the game he had broken the index finger on his left hand and is out indefinitely.

Miami’s Lewis Brinson, who scored twice, Rossell Herrera and Chad Wallach each had two hits. Rojas doubled twice and drove in three runs.

“A lot of firsts tonight, we got our first win out of the way,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. “We had a lot of guys who didn’t have hits, they had hits. There is a lot of size in that room right now.”

Pablo Lopez (1-0) allowed five hits and three runs and struck out a career-high seven in 5 1/3 innings. He was lifted after retiring Trevor Story on a flyball that ended an 11-pitch at-bat.

“Tough guy, great hitter,” Lopez said of Story. “He has a good approach, smart. It’s a battle. I tried to mix all my pitches. I gave everything I had. I had my defence behind me. It felt really good winning that little battle there.”

Lopez’s performance followed his solid spring in which he went 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA in 20 2/3 innings.

Five Marlins relievers kept Colorado scoreless through the final 3 2/3 innings.

Rojas and Herrera capitalized on Anderson’s first pitches with hits that keyed a three-run fourth for a 5-2 lead. Rojas’ double to left centre scored two and Herrera followed with an RBI single.

Anderson (0-1) gave up five runs, nine hits and struck out four in five innings.

Miami added two runs in the seventh on Prado’s RBI single and Curtis Granderson’s safety squeeze bunt single that scored Brinson.

“The big blow was the first-pitch fastball to Rojas for the double that scored a couple of runs,” Colorado manager Bud Black said.

WEB GEMS

Not lost in the Marlins offensive output were standout defensive plays by 3B Brian Anderson and OF Brinson. Anderson dived for Chris Iannetta’s hard grounder down the line, reached his feet and threw high to first, where Prado leaped and tagged Iannetta out to start the fifth. Iannetta was robbed again in the eighth, when Brinson dove and grabbed his sinking liner to centre.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: Murphy injured the finger while diving to stop a sharp grounder in the fourth inning of Friday’s game against Miami. Although Murphy remained in the game and had his first hit as a Rockie in the ninth, swelling on his finger worsened overnight. Murphy got X-rays on Saturday and will visit a hand specialist Monday.

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Marlins: P Jose Urena expects to make his second start against the New York Mets on Tuesday as he recovers from the line drive he took behind his left leg off a hit ball by Dahl in the second inning of the season opener Thursday.

UP NEXT

RHP Jon Gray will start the series finale for the Rockies on Sunday while the Marlins will go with RHP Sandy Alcantara.

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