Marlins knock 3 homers to muscle past Angels

Marlins knock 3 homers to muscle past Angels

May 26th, 2017

MIAMI -- Marlins Park, not known for being home run-friendly, proved to be a home-field advantage for the Marlins on Friday night. , J.T. Realmuto and each went deep in Miami's 8-5 victory over the Angels.
Stanton's homer was his first since May 8, and Bour stayed hot, homering for the ninth time in 14 games. Backed by early run support, Dan Straily won his second straight start, giving up three runs with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. It marked the seventh time the Marlins knocked three homers in a game.
After falling behind by a run in the first inning, the Marlins broke through for four of their own off . Stanton blistered a two-run homer to center, and Realmuto unloaded on an opposite-field shot with two outs.
"I thought G's homer was big because it kind of erased that first inning and gave us the lead," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "We kind of added on in that first inning."

Bour's three-run shot padded Miami's lead to five, and it came after was intentionally walked.
"When Ozuna gets walked there, I take it like, 'I want him to be swinging,'" Bour said. "I want him to get a chance to hit. I want to make the most of that opportunity so that doesn't happen."
Chavez yielded five runs over 3 2/3 innings for his shortest start of the season. Playing for the first time at Marlins Park, the night ended with concern for the Angels, as closer , getting work in the eighth inning, exited after three pitches due to right knee tightness.

"There was a lot going on in that first inning," Chavez said. "At the end of the day, we talked about it, it was just a battle between myself and my mechanics. Trying to find that drive to each side of the plate, which wasn't there, which led to balls leaking over the plate when I didn't want them to."
's two-run homer to center in the sixth inning off Straily was projected by Statcast™ at 417 feet, his longest of the season and third longest since 2015. hit his first career home run (and hit), connecting in the ninth inning off .
"We're thrilled for that kid," manager Mike Scioscia said of Fontana's homer. "He hit the ball hard in Tampa, not a lot to show for it. He's one of an elite group who gets a home run on his first hit. How big that group is I don't know, but I know it's not that big."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Southpaw jinx no more for Bour: So much for Bour not being able to homer off lefties. With two outs in the sixth inning, Miami's first baseman connected on a two-out, three-run homer off left-hander . It was Bour's 13th of the season, and fourth off a southpaw. He entered the season without any homers off lefties. But this year Miami opted to give Bour chances against them. The timing of the homer was also big because the Angels closed to 5-3 on Maldonado's two-run homer in the top of the inning.
"Putting together a good at-bat was the main thing for me," Bour said. "I was thrown a couple of sliders to start the at-bat. I felt like I got my pitch to hit, 3-1. I was a little frustrated, fouling off that one."

Straily exits, Phelps returns: Straily seemed to run out of steam in the sixth inning, yielding the two-run homer to Maldonado with one out. entered, and he retired on a grounder to second and pinch-hitter on a fly ball to right. Phelps then posted a scoreless seventh, giving him 1 2/3 scoreless frames. Phelps was reinstated from the bereavement list on Friday, and he has not allowed an earned run in 13 straight games (13 2/3 innings).
"It's not like I had the greatest track record off some of these guys, but I really kind of honed in to who I was pitching to and what my strengths are, and go out there and try to attack my strengths, and if you beat me, so be it," Straily said.

QUOTABLE
"It's good to see. It's something I thought was there earlier. I was wondering and doubting if it was there or not. It's starting to look like he's figuring it out." -- Mattingly, on Bour starting to have production against left-handed pitching
INSTANT REPLAY
The Angels won a challenge that denied of an RBI in the eighth inning. On Yelich's double to left, Stanton attempted to score from first. On a bang-bang play at the plate, the call was originally ruled safe. Maldonado handled ' relay as Stanton slid into his glove hand. After a review of one minute and 20 seconds, the call was overturned.

WHAT'S NEXT
Angels: Right-hander JC Ramirez takes the mound for the Angels at 1:10 p.m. PT on Saturday at Marlins Park. Ramirez turned in a quality start his last outing, a win over the Rays. He allowed just two runs on six hits while striking out five over 6 2/3 innings.
Marlins: makes his second start since being brought up from Triple-A New Orleans. The right-hander draws the 4:10 p.m. ET contest with the Angels. In his first start, a loss at the Dodgers, Worley gave up three runs in four innings.
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