MIAMI (AP) — Jon Berti’s second hit of the game was a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning, helping the Miami Marlins to a 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
Luis Arraez doubled and had two singles to raise his major league-leading batting average to .380, and Bryan De La Cruz homered and doubled and drove in three runs for the Marlins.
Miami squandered an early four-run lead before Jesús Sánchez reached on a leadoff infield single in the eighth against Tigers reliever Jason Foley (2-3) and advanced on Yuli Gurriel’s single. Berti then hit a sharp grounder past first baseman Spencer Torkelson that scored pinch-runner Garrett Hampson from second and advanced Gurriel two bases. Joey Wendle’s sacrifice fly to deep center scored Gurriel and made it 6-4.
“Really big at-bat out of Berti, really big at-bat out of Yuli and I was able to drive one in with the sac fly,” Wendle said. “It’s really good to jump right back on it.”
Berti is hitting .556 and 15 for 27 in his last nine games.
“He’s as good as anybody right now at the plate for our team,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “I keep saying it over and over again, you put him anywhere in any situation and he helps you win baseball games.”
The Tigers had tied the game at 4 in the top of the inning when Nick Maton hit a two-run double off Marlins reliever J.T. Chargois (2-0).
A.J. Puk allowed a double by Torkelson and an RBI single by Andy Ibañez before eventually striking out the side for his 16th save. Former New York Mets closer David Robertson, acquired in a trade by Miami late Thursday, will join the club Saturday.
“There’s no such thing as an ugly win,” Schumaker said. “There are ugly losses, but I will take any win when there’s a game that’s close.”
Tigers’ star slugger Miguel Cabrera went 0 for 3 and was hit by a pitch. Cabrera, who will retire at the end of the season, spent the first five seasons of his career with the Marlins. The club honored Cabrera with a video tribute and gifts before the game.
Many in the crowd of 15,918 chanted “Let’s Go Miggy” during Cabrera’s plate appearances.
“It is very emotional because this is where it all started,” Cabrera said before the game. “To be back here is awesome.”
De La Cruz put Miami ahead early with a two-run homer in the first. He drove a sinker from Tigers starter Reese Olson over the wall in left-center for his 14th homer.
The Marlins padded the lead on Jean Segura’s RBI infield single in the second and De La Cruz’s run-scoring double in the third.
Marlins starter Braxton Garrett limited Detroit to one unearned run and five hits over six innings. The left-hander struck out six, walked one and plunked Cabrera.
Detroit got on the board in the fourth when third baseman Segura muffed Cabrera’s grounder, allowing Javier Báez to score from first.
Torkelson’s RBI single off reliever Tanner Scott in the seventh got the Tigers within 4-2.
“We’ve said it before, we feel we’re never out of a game,” Torkelson said. “We just keep chipping away, have good at-bats and pass the baton. We feel we can win every single game no matter what the score is.”
Olson settled down after the third and matched a career-high six innings. The rookie right-hander, in his eighth major league start, gave up four runs and eight hits.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: Scott exited because of a mild right calf strain while trying to beat Báez to the bag on an infield single with one out in the eighth. ... OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. (left oblique strain) did a full workout Friday.
UP NEXT
RHP Beau Briske (0-0, 4.76) will start for the Tigers in the second game Saturday while the Marlins will go with RHP Johnny Cueto (0-1, 4.50).
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