Marlins get first starting pitcher win in six weeks

The Miami Marlins began their longest road trip of the season with a win over the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

The 6-2 win was punctuated by early offense from Miami. 

Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run home run to left field in the top of the first inning, with Jake Burger following it up a solo shot a couple of batters later. 

After struggling to hit for power in May and June, Burger now has six home runs in July. He has a .569 slugging percentage and a .902 OPS since the calendar flipped. 

"We came out really strong against a really good pitcher," Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. "Peralta is as good as there is in the league. They're obviously one of the best teams in the National League. For us to keep playing like we're playing against these really good teams just shows what they have in the clubhouse. Should start building some confidence that they can play with anybody, and it starts with starting pitching."

That three-run cushion was probably a welcome sight for Friday's starting pitcher in Trevor Rogers. The lefty has been the beneficiary of the lowest run support in baseball this season among pitchers with at least 10 starts, with the Marlins giving him an average of 2.55 runs per start. 

Rogers allowed two runs on Friday, giving up a solo home run to Rhys Hoskins in the third inning and a sacrifice fly to Gary Sanchez in the fourth. He allowed zero walks.

Going 5 ⅓ innings, Rogers recorded the first win by a Marlins starting pitcher since Jesús Luzardo did it on June 11. 

The Marlins put up two more runs in the second inning. With the bases loaded, Brewers shortstop Willy Adames bobbled a groundball from De La Cruz, allowing Nick Fortes to score from third and Jazz Chisholm Jr. to score from second. Chisholm was moving at 29.8 feet per second, just short of the 30 feet-per-second "elite" threshold according to Statcast.

Marlins relievers Anthony Bender and Huascar Brazoban put up 2 ⅔ scoreless innings, getting Miami to the ninth inning.

With All-Star closer Tanner Scott ready to come in, the Marlins didn’t need more insurance, but they got some anyway when Josh Bell lined a solo home run to left-center field. That ball, which landed in the Brewers bullpen, was Bell’s 1,000th of his nine-year career.

Scott allowed a hit and a walk in a non-save situation appearance, but still kept the Brewers off the board to get the win and keep his 16-game scoreless streak intact. There are only two more opportunities for the pending free agent to pitch for the Marlins prior to Tuesday's MLB trade deadline.

Notes: 

-This was the fourth game in a row where Miami scored six runs.

-Jake Burger and Josh Bell have combined for seven home runs and 11 RBI since the All-Star break.

-Otto Lopez was the only member of the Marlins starting lineup who did not reach base.

-Max Meyer is scheduled to make his highly anticipated return to major league action on Saturday.