Jon Berti belts first career home run, Marlins ride strong 9th inning to win over Cubs
CHICAGO (AP) — Pedro Strop walked three batters in the ninth inning and the Miami Marlins took advantage, rallying for three runs to pull out a 6-5 victory Monday night that ended the Chicago Cubs‘ winning streak at seven games.
Jon Berti hit his first major league homer, a solo shot off Cole Hamels in the sixth to tie it at 3 after the Cubs had jumped ahead 3-0 against Sandy Alcantara in the first.
Chicago led 4-3 entering the ninth, but Strop (1-2) issued two walks and then a yielded a single to pinch-hitter Neil Walker as Miami loaded the bases. Strop walked Rosell Herrera to force in the tying run with nobody out. Berti came home from third to put Miami ahead 5-4 when Miguel Rojas grounded out against Kyle Ryan.
Martin Prado hit a comebacker to Ryan, who looked Walker back toward third. But when Ryan threw to first to retire Prado, Walker sprinted home with the third run of the inning.
Adam Conley (1-3) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win. Sergio Romo worked around a solo homer by Kris Bryant and single by Anthony Rizzo in the ninth to earn his sixth save.
Starlin Castro and Brian Anderson each had an RBI for the last-place Marlins.
Rizzo lined a two-run shot in the first for his 200th career homer. Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras each had an RBI single.
Rizzo homered for the fifth time in eight games and for the 199th time with the Cubs, moving him past Hank Sauer into ninth place in franchise history.
Hamels allowed three runs and five hits while striking out seven in his third straight no-decision. Alcantra yielded three runs on four hits and six walks in five innings.
In the first, Rizzo lined a sinker against the wind into the right-center bleachers. Javier Baez doubled and Contreras singled him home.
The Marlins trimmed it to 3-2 in the third.
Anderson lined a double over Ben Zobrist in right to score Miguel Rojas. Castro’s sacrifice fly drove in Prado from third.
With the game tied at 3 in the sixth, Miami relievers Tyler Kinley and Nick Anderson issued three straight free passes to load the bases with none out. Schwarber followed with a sharp single off Castro’s glove at second base to make it 4-3.
EDWARDS RETURNS
Before the game, the Cubs recalled RHP Carl Edwards Jr. from Triple-A Iowa and optioned RHP Dillon Maples to their top farm team. Edwards pitched a perfect seventh.
Edwards started the season with the Cubs, but was sent down April 6 after allowing six runs and five walks in 1 2/3 innings over four outings. While in the minors, the 27-year-old spent seven days on the injured list with a scraped right hand.
Edwards was 8-6 with a 2.81 ERA over the previous two seasons.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: INF JT Riddle (back) was activated off of the minor league injured list and will report to Triple-A New Orleans. Riddle was demoted in April but remains on the 40-man roster.
Cubs: INF Daniel Descalso (sore left ankle) didn’t start for a second straight day, but pinch hit in the ninth. . C Victor Caratini began a rehab assignment at Class A South Bend. He was 1 for 2, hitting a double as he played for the first time since surgery last month to repair a broken bone in left hand. … Chicago manager Joe Maddon didn’t have an update on LHP Mike Montgomery (mild left lat strain), who was in the clubhouse but had not been activated off the injured list.
UP NEXT
Miami LHP Caleb Smith (3-0, 2.00 ERA) takes the mound against Chicago ace Jon Lester (2-1, 1.73) on Tuesday night. Lester has been his old self in two outings since coming back from a left hamstring strain, yielding one run and five hits while striking out 13 over 12 innings. Smith has won his last three starts, going six innings in each one and allowing only two runs over 18 innings.
