Marlins rally falls short, Rays win 4-3 to snap slide
MIAMI (AP) - It wasn't the heart of the Tampa Bay order that frustrated Miami starter Tom Koehler.
The bottom was the problem.
No. 8 hitter Hank Conger hit a two-run single, opposing pitcher Jake Odorizzi got an RBI on his first career hit and that set the tone for what became the Rays' 4-3 win over the Marlins on Tuesday.
Giancarlo Stanton hit his 12th home run for the Marlins, snapping a 6-for-57 drought. But Miami couldn't escape a 3-0 hole, with Odorizzi and Conger delivering the early damage.
"Conger hit a mistake right there, 0-2 pitch, can't catch that much of the plate 0-2," Koehler said. "Left a pitch up and the pitcher smashed it into right field. Got to do a better job than that."
Marcell Ozuna doubled twice and reached for the 31st consecutive game, while Justin Bour and Derek Dietrich added two hits for Miami. Stanton's homer started Miami's comeback try in the sixth.
"He's starting to see the ball better," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "That's really what you want."
Odorizzi allowed two hits in five shutout innings and Alex Colome got a two-inning save for the Rays, who snapped a three-game slide.
"We needed a win today to turn this road trip in the positive," said Rays manager Kevin Cash, whose club finished an eight-game trip 5-3.
Odorizzi (2-2) struck out seven and walked three. Logan Morrison had three hits and Brad Miller had two hits and two stolen bases for the Rays.
Koehler (2-5) allowed six hits and three runs in five innings, striking out six but walking five for the third consecutive outing. The Marlins are 0-5 in his May starts, and Koehler hasn't won since April 26.
"Unacceptable," Koehler said. "It's something that we're looking at and seeing if we're just missing on pitches or if there's something in the delivery."
Odorizzi left with a 3-0 lead, and the Rays nearly gave it away.
Stanton's homer and Dietrich's RBI single came within a six-pitch span from Rays reliever Enny Romero, a 3-0 game quickly becoming 3-2. Steve Pearce's single off the third-base bag in the seventh made it 4-2, but the Marlins got within a run again in the eighth after Ozuna led off with a double and scored on Adeiny Hechavarria's single.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: CF Kevin Kiermaier (broken left hand) had surgery Tuesday in St. Petersburg. He was hurt Saturday diving for a fly ball and is likely out 8-10 weeks. ... RHP Brad Boxberger (abductor) is set for his fifth rehab appearance on Wednesday, for Double-A Montgomery. He is expected to rejoin the Rays in a matter of days, barring a setback.
Marlins: LF Christian Yelich (back spasms) missed his fourth consecutive start. Bour took Yelich's usual No. 3 spot in the batting order, hitting there for the first time this season.
LOUD CROWD
Thousands of schoolkids were at the day game, and they were loud. The Rays said that played a factor in Stanton reaching on what became a two-base error, a popup falling in between three converging defenders. "The kids were so loud that they couldn't quite communicate," Cash said.
ICHIRO WATCH
Ichiro Suzuki had 10 hits in a three-game span ending Monday, and it was historic. Not only did he tie a Marlins record for most hits in a three-game stretch (done previously by Hanley Ramirez, Luis Castillo and Preston Wilson), but Suzuki became the first 42-year-old to go on such a streak since Cap Anson back in 1894. He was 0 for 5 Tuesday.
UP NEXT
The teams head to the Gulf side of the state to continue their four-game series Wednesday night, with LHP Justin Nicolino (2-2, 4.30) going for Miami and RHP Matt Andriese (3-0, 2.11) trying to win his fourth consecutive start for Tampa Bay. Nicolino is winless in his last three outings, with a 5.63 ERA over that stretch.