Marlins 7, Cubs 3
MIAMI -- Giancarlo Stanton and Jeff Baker hit back-to-back homers as the Miami Marlins defeated the Chicago Cubs 7-3 in a game that featured a benches-clearing confrontation at Marlins Park.
The fireworks started in the fifth, when the Marlins hit three straight balls -- in a span of six pitches -- either over the fence in left or off the wall in right.
Stanton, Miami's right fielder, hit his 17th homer of the season. Baker, the first baseman, followed with his second homer, and center fielder Marcello Ozuna doubled off the fence in right.
Ozuna was stranded, but the Marlins took a 6-0 lead into the sixth. That's when Junior Lake drilled a two-run homer to left, sparking the hostilities by staying at home plate for a couple of seconds to admire his work.
As Lake rounded third, he looked toward the Marlins dugout and gestured for them to "shush." That infuriated Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, who is on the disabled list due to elbow surgery yet athletically leaped over the fence and ran onto the field to confront Lake in a profanity-laced tirade.
No punches were thrown, and Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro tripled in the next at-bat, coming around to score to cut the Cubs' deficit to 6-3.
Miami (22-32) held on from there to take two out of three games from Chicago (27-24).
Marlins starter Dan Haren (6-2) got the win, pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing six hits, two walks and three runs.
Cubs left-hander Jon Lester (4-4) took the loss, allowing nine hits, one walk and six runs in five innings.
Miami opened the scoring with a four-run second inning, a rally that was set up by singles from Ozuna and left fielder Ichiro Suzuki.
The Marlins cashed in on an RBI double by catcher J.T. Realmuto and a run-scoring single from shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.
The inning appeared to be over when Castro threw out Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon at first for the final out of the inning. But the Marlins appealed the ruling, and the call was overturned, giving Miami a 3-0 lead.
Third baseman Martin Prado's RBI single capped the inning. Prado added another RBI single in the sixth.
Marlins manager Dan Jennings was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing a check-swing call that went the Cubs' way.
NOTES: Cubs RF Jorge Soler (left ankle) was placed on the 15-day disabled list. ... Of the eight players leading the fan voting to start for the NL All-Star team, two of them play for the Marlins -- RF Giancarlo Stanton and 2B Dee Gordon. ... Entering Wednesday, Stanton had 170 homers in 686 games, tying him with Harmon Killebrew for the fifth-best HR pace to start a career. Ryan Howard tops the list with 207 homers. ... Gordon entered Wednesday leading the majors with 79 hits and a .367 batting average. ... Cubs prospect Javier Baez, who normally plays second base or shortstop, will work at third at Triple-A Iowa. Cubs 3B Kris Bryant, who played left field on Tuesday, could eventually shift to the outfield to make way for Baez, a first-round pick in 2011 who is hitting .351 with four homers in his last 10 games at Iowa.