No 'pity party' for Marlins as 9-run inning leads to 6th straight win

MIAMI -- Life without ace Sandy Alcantara (right forearm flexor strain) and All-Star slugger Jorge Soler (right oblique strain) means the rest of the Marlins must step up if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive.

If the Marlins' 11-4 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday night at loanDepot park is any indication, the 28-man roster -- plus any Minor League reinforcements -- are up to the task. Joey Wendle, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesús Sánchez went deep during the go-ahead nine-run fifth, while right-hander Edward Cabrera tossed four scoreless innings in his return to the Majors as Miami moved into the third National League Wild Card spot.

• Games remaining: vs. LAD (1), at PHI (3), at MIL (4), vs. ATL (3), vs. NYM (3), vs. MIL (3), at NYM (3), at PIT (3)
• Standings update: The Marlins (72-67) jumped into sole possession of the third NL WC spot, a half-game ahead of the Reds (73-69) and the D-backs (72-68). The Giants (70-70) are 2 1/2 games behind the Marlins. Miami would hold the first tiebreaker, based on head-to-head matchups, over Arizona (4-2). The Marlins (19-21, .475) are in line to hold the second tiebreaker (intradivisional record) over the Reds but not the Giants.

The Marlins have scored at least six or more runs in each game of their season-high-matching six-game win streak. They have also crushed 15 homers during this stretch, improving to five games over .500 in September for the first time since 2009.

“It shows you what kind of leadership we have in that clubhouse,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “It shows you our staff, and how strong they are as a group. We weren't going to let that happen to our group, the pity party. No one feels sorry for us. It sucks to lose Soler and Sandy, there's no doubt about it. And you can feel bad and feel sad for them, but there's a game to be played and a game to be won.”

Down 1-0 entering the fifth, Miami sent 13 batters to the plate in the decisive inning. Jacob Stallings led off with a double, then Wendle lined Lance Lynn’s two-strike four-seamer over the right-field wall for just his second homer of the season. After a pair of walks and a flyout, Chisholm ambushed Lynn’s first-pitch sinker for a three-run shot to left, his second long ball in as many games. Two batters later, Sánchez found the second deck in right-center for a solo blast. The next four batters followed with base hits, capped by Luis Arraez’s RBI double.

It marked the most runs the Marlins have scored in an inning since Aug. 13, 2021, when they tallied 11 in the second against the Cubs. It also was the first time multiple Marlins notched two hits in the same inning since Cameron Maybin and Justin Bour in the fifth on July 15, 2018, against the Phillies.

Entering Wednesday, Wendle had batted .143 (15-for-105) with three doubles, one triple and no homers since his previous multihit game on July 7 -- a span of 42 games (32 starts). His four RBIs vs. L.A. were the most since Aug. 29, 2021, when he competed for the playoff-bound Rays.

“Horrible,” Wendle said of his 2023 campaign, his first year as an everyday shortstop. “I'm thankful to get the opportunity. When you play for an extended period of time at a level, you know you're capable of much, much better. It's obviously frustrating, but at this point, we put all that aside and whatever is best for the team. We're in a playoff race, we're in the thick of it, so to continue to get an opportunity to be in the lineup and to contribute, I'm just really thankful.”

The same goes for Cabrera, who took over in the fifth after three relievers handled the first four frames. Cabrera struck out eight batters -- matching a franchise record for a reliever -- across four innings of one-hit ball.

Cabrera got off to an ominous start when his outing began with an automatic ball and PitchCom issue. Following the snafu, Cabrera walked leadoff batter Miguel Rojas, then fanned Kolten Wong. Mookie Betts walked, but Cabrera bounced back with consecutive strikeouts of Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. Those two walks were his only free passes.

Miami demoted Cabrera to Triple-A Jacksonville on Aug. 1 due to command issues after he posted 6.08 walks-per-nine -- the second-highest mark among pitchers with at least 70 innings thrown this season. His results, while still not great, improved drastically over five starts with the Jumbo Shrimp, as he struck out 30 batters while walking 12 in 28 1/3 innings (3.81 BB/9).

“I think being here is the most important part, being here, helping my teammates, helping the team,” Cabrera said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “It doesn't matter what's going to be my role -- if I'm coming out of the bullpen, if I'm starting games. Most important part is about helping the team.”