Marlins 6, Brewers 2
MILWAUKEE -- Derek Dietrich hit his eighth home run of the season and Justin Nicolino worked into the seventh inning as the Miami Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 on Monday night at Miller Park.
Nicolino (8-7) walked two, struck out three and held Milwaukee to two runs and two hits in 6 2/3 innings to win for the third time in four starts.
The Miami offense did its part, collecting 12 hits, including three by shortstop Adeiny Hechavarra and two each by first baseman Justin Bour and second baseman Dee Gordon, who also drove in two runs and scored.
Marlins pinch-hitter Casey McGehee added an insurance run with a run-scoring single in the eighth.
The bulk of Miami's offense came at the expense of Brewers right-hander Matt Garza (6-13), who hadn't allowed more than three earned runs in his last five starts but was tagged for five runs and eight hits in five innings and lost for the sixth time in his last 10 starts.
Garza set a career high for losses in a season, surpassing 2009 when he went 8-12 with a 3.95 ERA in 32 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Shane Peterson's RBI single gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead in the second, but the Marlins answered with two in the third on a two-run base hit by Gordon.
Bour opened the fourth with a single to right and Garza's next pitch -- a fastball to Dietrich -- was belted for a home run to center, giving the Marlins a 4-1 lead.
Marlins third baseman Martin Prado extended the lead to four runs with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun got one of those runs back, chopping a single into short left to score pinch-hitter Jason Rogers.
NOTES: Miami placed RHP David Phelps on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow strain and selected the contract of RHP Erik Cordier from Triple-A New Orleans on Monday. Cordier, a native of Green Bay, Wis., was with the team and in uniform on Monday night at Miller Park. ... The Brewers are 23-9 in their last 32 meetings with the Marlins and have won or tied the season series every year since 2009. ... Florida SS Adeiny Hechavarria came into the game with a 10-game hitting streak. He's batting .342 during that stretch with six runs, two triples and four RBIs. Hechavarria is a .333 career hitter against the Brewers and 11-for-27 in seven games at Miller Park. ... Marlins manager Dan Jennings said OF Giancarlo Stanton is close to facing live pitching as he recovers from a broken hand that sidelined him on June 26.