The Miami Marlins didn’t exactly crush Giants’ right-hander Matt Cain in the bottom of the first inning on Wednesday.
But that didn’t matter.
Miami tallied four runs on just three hits against Cain, and put the game out of reach as the Marlins went on to defeat the Giants 8-1 and clinch a series victory.
The first inning was the defining frame in Wednesday’s matinee at Marlins Park, and the bottom of the inning kicked off on an ominous note when Miami leadoff man Dee Gordon reached on catcher’s interference.
Remarkably, that wasn’t the strangest play that took place in the inning, as Giants’ shortstop Brandon Crawford committed a stunning error with two outs that allowed the Marlins to tack on a pair of unearned runs.
With two on and two out, Marlins’ third baseman Derek Dietrich hit a line drive directly at Crawford, who dropped the ball and allowed a pair of Miami players to score.
The catcher’s interference on Nick Hundley, the error by Crawford, and three Marlins’ base hits allowed Miami to jump out to a 4-0 lead that the Giants were unable to answer.
Cain took the ball for San Francisco on Wednesday in place of Giants’ rookie Chris Stratton, whose turn in the rotation was pushed back to Sunday after rain postponed Friday’s contest in Washington, D.C. Stratton wound up throwing the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader and he spun a gem –6.2 innings of shutout ball with 10 strikeouts- but the Giants will have to wait a few extra days before Stratton is able to pitch again.
Starting for the first time since July 31, Cain lasted just 4.0 innings and wound up surrendering five runs, even though just two of them were earned. Cain did notch seven strikeouts, his most since he set a season-high in an April 29 start against the Padres, but by the time he exited the game, the Marlins had already made the contest non-competitive.
Credit for the Giants’ offensive woes goes to Marlins’ starter Jose Urena, who scattered seven hits over five innings of work, but only allowed a lone earned run, which was unearned. San Francisco’s only tally against Urena came in the top of the third inning when Crawford reached on an error by Marlins’ shortstop Tomas Tellis that allowed left fielder Jarrett Parker to score.
Crawford exited the ballgame in favor of Orlando Calixte in the middle of the fifth inning, as Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy called upon reliever Albert Suarez to take over for Cain. It’s unclear whether Bochy made the double switch so that Suarez could pitch multiple innings without taking a turn in the lineup, or if Crawford needed to leave the game for another reason, but the defensive swap did take place rather early in the game.
After allowing a walkoff grand slam to Nationals’ pinch hitter Howie Kendrick on Sunday evening, Suarez didn’t fare well against Miami, as he allowed a pair of runs in the fifth that extended the Marlins’ lead to 7-1.
With the loss on Wednesday, the Giants dropped five of the six games they played against the Marlins this season, as Miami swept San Francisco at home the weekend before the All-Star break.
San Francisco returns to AT&T Park on Thursday for the start of a seven-game homestand that begins with a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that currently holds the worst record in Major League Baseball.
