SEATTLE (AP) — Miami's Jesús Sánchez made a leaping, game-saving catch at the wall in the bottom of the ninth inning to rob Seattle's Eugenio Suárez of a grand slam, and the Marlins avoided a three-game sweep with a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.
Seattle loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning against A.J. Puk thanks to a pair of errors by Luis Arraez. Suárez lined a 2-1 pitch from Puk deep to right field, but Sánchez quickly tracked his way to the wall and made a leaping grab and pulled back the potential game-tying homer.
Ty France scored on the play to break up the shutout, but Cal Raleigh lined out to Sánchez to end the game.
Sánchez's defensive gem made a winner out of 20-year-old rookie Eury Pérez, who dazzled in just his seventh start. Pérez limited the Mariners to just a pair of hits and pitched into the sixth for the first time. Pérez (4-1) struck out six and walked only one and helped Miami’s pitching recover after getting knocked around in the first two games of the series.
Jorge Soler hit his 20th homer of the season hitting a line drive out to deep right-center field off Seattle starter Luis Castillo leading off the sixth inning. Soler hit just 13 homers in 72 games last season for the Marlins, but reached the 20-homer mark for the third time in his career.
Arraez’s chase of .400 ran into a roadblock against Seattle pitching. Arraez went 0-for-3 on Wednesday with a walk and hit by pitch, and was hitless in 12 at-bats in the series. It’s the first time this season Arraez has gone hitless in three straight games.
Pérez had some good fortune also, as Seattle batters had three long fly balls that on a warmer night may have carried out of the park. Teoscar Hernández and Suárez twice had fly balls caught on the warning track or at the wall off Pérez.
Castillo (4-5) limited damage overall considering he struggled badly with his control from the outset. Castillo labored through 5 2/3 innings, giving up only two hits and two runs, but matched his career-high with six walks.
Jonathan Davis scored on a wild pitch from Castillo in the third inning, and the Marlins added a pair in the eighth on Nick Fortes’ RBI double and Davis’ sacrifice fly.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: Injured OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. took batting practice on the field before Wednesday’s game as he continues to recover from a right big toe injury. Manager Skip Schumaker said Chisolm would be re-evaluated Thursday and that this was the first step in eventually getting back on the field.
Mariners: RHP Penn Murfee is seeking a second opinion on his pitching elbow focused on a possible nerve issue and his ulnar collateral ligament. Manager Scott Servais said he expected Murfee to be out an extended period.
UP NEXT
Marlins: Following a travel day, Miami opens a weekend series in Washington. RHP Sandy Alcantara (2-5, 4.75) starts looking to follow up on his last outing when he pitched seven innings of one-run ball vs. the White Sox.
Mariners: After an off day, Seattle opens a three-game series with the White Sox on Friday. Rookie RHP Bryan Woo (0-1, 10.80) starts for the Mariners against RHP Michael Kopech (3-5, 4.03) for Chicago.
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