The Miami Marlins used a four-run fourth inning against Blake Snell to break a scoreless tie, and rolled to a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday at Tropicana Field to even up their three-game weekend series.
Both Snell and Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara were matching nearly pitch for pitch through the first three innings, with both having allowed a hit and a walk while striking out six, but in the fourth, Snell walked Jesus Aguilar, then gave up a double to Brian Anderson. Lewis Brinson struck out, but a passed ball on Michael Perez allowed Aguilar to score and Anderson to move to third base. Harold Ramirez drove in Anderson with a base hit, and former Ray Corey Dickerson made it 4-0 with a two-run homer, his sixth of the year.
An error by Brandon Lowe an inning later made the Marlins lead 5-0.
Michael Perez drove in all three runs for Tampa Bay Saturday, with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth cutting the deficit back to 5-1, and after Matt Joyce's two-run single in the seventh extended the lead out to 7-1, hit a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to cut the deficit back to 7-3 before Brandon Kintzler was able to close out the game.
The loss does not cost Tampa Bay any of their lead in the American League East, as both Toronto and New York also lost to keep the lead at 5.5 games with 20 to play.