How did Marlins sweep Rox? Here are 4 key stats

MIAMI -- The Marlins moved four games below .500 for the first time since June 12 in Thursday afternoon’s 3-2 victory over the Rockies at loanDepot park. Here are four stats that secured Miami’s third series sweep of the season:

29.5 feet per second sprint speed for Avisaíl García
With runners on the corners and one out in a tie ballgame in the eighth, García hit a ground ball into the hole between second and third, where José Iglesias gathered it before firing over to second to begin a potential double play. García picked the perfect time to tie his fastest sprint speed of the season, as he beat the turn to first and drove in the decisive run.

García, who was the Marlins’ marquee free agent signing over the offseason, was meant to be an impact bat. Though it has taken time for him to show signs at the plate, his defense and speed have been solid despite his size (6-foot-4, 250 pounds). García entered the game in the 73rd percentile for average sprint speed (28.1 ft/sec -- 27 is average, 30 is elite) and two Defensive Runs Saved in right field.

“He's one of those surprising guys that he runs better than people would think,” manager Don Mattingly said. “[It] probably leads to him with the defense and things like that. When that ball was hit, I knew it'd be close, but I felt like he'd beat it. It took just long enough for that ball to get to short that we felt like he's going to get that one.”

10 whiffs (career high) on Braxton Garrett’s slider
The 24-year-old southpaw is getting a chance to start every five days rather than shuttling back and forth between the Majors and Minors, and the results are starting to come. Garrett is learning how his stuff can play at this level, in particular with more sliders and four-seamers to the glove side.

When Elias Díaz tripled on a misplayed ball by center fielder Bryan De La Cruz with one out in the second, Garrett hunkered down to strike out the next two batters after not recording a K in his previous outing against the Mets -- a first in his professional career. Two of his career-high 10 whiffs on the slider came in that sequence.

“I've been talking with [pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr.] in between every start, and even after this one, he said we made such good adjustments last start to this one,” Garrett said. “The more I get out there, the more I learn.”

21 straight stolen bases for Jon Berti
Miami felt the quick turnaround from Wednesday into Thursday might mean runs would be at a premium. The club wasn’t wrong, and taking the extra base proved to be the difference in the finale.

Berti and Jazz Chisholm Jr. executed a double steal in the third inning that set up Jorge Soler’s sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2. Later, pinch-runner Luke Williams got a good read on Jesús Aguilar’s single to right field, going first to third and setting up García’s RBI forceout in the eighth.

When Berti extended his MLB stolen base lead in the fifth, he set club records for most consecutive stolen base attempts without a caught stealing (21) and steals in June (17). Starting on a daily basis with Joey Wendle and Brian Anderson sidelined, Berti has made the most of the opportunity, with a .378 on-base percentage, 17 steals, 10 RBIs and 13 runs scored during a 21-game on-base streak – tied for second longest in MLB.

“Some games you're going to score eight runs and hit three home runs, like we did the other night,” Berti said. “But some nights, you've got to just scratch and claw, and baserunning is a big part of that.”

97.7 mph average sinker for Zach Pop
With Louis Head landing on the injured list with left shoulder impingement, Miami recalled Pop and had him bridge the gap between Garrett and the high-leverage relievers. After stranding an inherited runner at third to close out the fifth, Pop worked around a leadoff double in the sixth to toss 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

Pop, who went nearly two years between pitching because of Tommy John surgery and the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the 2020 Minor League season, saw an uptick in his sinker velocity -- it averaged 95.4 mph in ‘21 and 94.7 mph his first stint up in ‘22.

“Coming off of Tommy John, getting that full year back of strength and work, and then this year being able to kind of fine-tune that a little bit, is nice,” Pop said.