Stowers continues adding to All-Star case in Marlins win over Diamondbacks

The Miami Marlins offense had its best game of the season on Thursday. Friday's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks came close to matching it. The Marlins picked up their fifth win in a row by a final score of 9-8, and NL All-Star candidate Kyle Stowers was right in the middle of it.

Stowers was coming off a great series in San Francisco, going 4-for-14 with one home run and three RBI. He extended his hit streak to five games, going 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI against Merrill Kelly and the D-backs. He is now slashing .277/.352/.496/.848 with 13 home runs and 40 RBI.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Marlins hit back-to-back-to-back doubles, all with two outs. The first one was from Otto Lopez, providing the first hit of the ballgame for either team. Agustín Ramírez drove Lopez in on a 116.9 mph RBI double, tying the game at one apiece. That marked the hardest-hit ball of Ramírez's young MLB career. Stowers then had a 108.5 mph double, taking the lead, 2-1.

"Just sticking with it," Stowers told the Marlins Radio Network postgame. "Trusting the process. We play 162 games and so there's just many ups and downs throughout the season. It's just trusting that things are going to turn and I just think that's what's happening."

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough spoke about Stowers postgame: "The ability to impact and slug. For him to drive a changeup to center field for that RBI and then take a fastball to the pull side for a homer, getting back and seeing this road trip has been great for him. Seeing him stay through, hit some balls for power and he's sitting there in a good spot where those guys get on base for him. The ability to hit a gap or hit a home run and drive in runs is something he's been doing a lot this year."

There was more two-out success in the fifth inning. Kelly made a throwing error on Lopez's bases-loaded infield single, allowing two total runs to score and giving the Marlins a commanding 4-1 lead.

In Eury Pérez's fourth start of the season, he went 4 ⅓ innings pitched, allowing three runs on two hits, three walks and strikeouts. Pérez went four-seam fastball/curveball heavy. His fastball averaged 98.2 mph and topped out at 100.3 mph. He generated a total of 11 whiffs, with all three of his strikeouts being swinging strikeouts. Although it was his third-most-used pitch, his slider generated four whiffs, including one that put away Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Similar to what we have seen in recent weeks with Sandy Alcantara, the Diamondbacks lineup made Pérez work, making him average 5.17 pitches per plate appearance (league average is 3.87 Pitches/PA). Posting a 56% first-pitch strike rate is a big reason for the high amount of pitches along with the 27 pitches that were fouled off.

"I think I am doing a good job with the pitches," said Pérez following the game through an interpreter. "They have a good eye and making a lot of swings and just being very aggressive, but yes, they are swinging at a lot of pitches and making contact with the ball that isn't positive, but not negative either because I am throwing a lot of pitches. I just need to try to finish hitters, which I think is the mission for my next start."

In the bottom of the third inning, Pérez walked Diamondbacks number seven hitter Jake McCarthy, who stole second and later on a wild pitch, moved up to third base. Eight hitter Alek Thomas drove him in on a sac fly, taking an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, McCarthy took Pérez deep for his first home run of the season, making it a 4-2 game. After Thomas flew out and Pérez walked José Herrera, Clayton McCullough took him out and went with Ronny Henriquez, who surrendered a game-tying two-run shot to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. One of the runs was charged towards Pérez.

"I'm satisfied that we won," said Pérez. "The team was able to win, I am able to stay healthy and I feel good. I was a bit annoyed because I wasn't able to complete the fifth inning, couldn't finish that appearance there doing a good job."

Heriberto Hernandez hit his second home run of the season, once again with two outs. The Marlins finished the night with five two-out RBI. Javier Sanoja, Stowers, Hernandez and Lopez were the ones who knocked in those runs.

Otto Lopez added two insurance runs with a homer in the top of the ninth, his seventh of the season, making it 9-5. Lopez is now riding an eight-game hit streak and is slashing .261/.332/.386/.718 through 65 games this season.

"I'm trying to look for a good pitch," said Lopez postgame. "I know that before that I struck out with a ball, but I can make an adjustment and just stay focused on one pitch, one that I can hit."

The broadcast noted that Lopez made an adjustment with the lower part of his body. He spoke about it following the game: "I feel the ground more, sit where I want to be and I feel good when I load and everything."

With a comfortable four-run lead, the Marlins called upon Tyler Phillips to finish the game, but things went downhill pretty quickly, allowing a base hit, fielder's choice and another base hit, loading the bases for Geraldo Perdomo. He worked a walk, making it 9-6. After Phillips struck out Ketel Marte, Florida native Pavin Smith smacked a single, driving in two more runs. The game came to a close when Tim Tawa grounded into a double play.

With the win, the Marlins are now 35-45 on the season. Ever since being swept by the Colorado Rockies—baseball's worst team—the Marlins are 12-8. The Marlins look to take the series with Sandy Alcantara taking the mound for the Fish and Brandon Pfaadt for the Diamondbacks. First pitch is at 4:10 pm.