Odorizzi returns, helps Rays beat Marlins
MIAMI -- Jake Odorizzi came off the disabled list and pitched effectively Monday, helping the Tampa Bay Rays earn a 4-2 victory over the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park.
Odorizzi had been out since April 15 due to a strained left hamstring. He allowed just two hits, one walk and two runs (one earned) in five innings.
Danny Farquhar (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Alex Colome earned his sixth save of the season, throwing a scoreless ninth. It was his first save since April 25. He had blown his previous two chances, allowing four runs in two innings.
The Rays (13-14) were led on offense by Tim Beckham, who had two RBIs. Tampa Bay also took advantage of eight walks issued by Miami pitchers. All three of the Rays' rallies featured walks.
Marlins starter Wei-Yin Chen allowed two hits, four walks and two runs in six innings. He struck out seven and did not get a decision.
Leadoff batter Dee Gordon led the Miami offense with a walk, a single, a double, a run and three steals. He has seven steals this season.
Gordon got the Miami offense going in the first. He walked, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Derek Norris and scored on Christian Yelich's sacrifice fly.
Tampa Bay rallied with one out in the fourth, taking a 2-1 lead. Corey Dickerson singled, Rickie Weeks walked, and both runners scored when Beckham sliced an opposite-field, two-run double that reached the wall in right-center on one bounce.
Marcell Ozuna tied the score 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer that traveled 395 feet to left-center. It was the seventh homer of the season for Ozuna, who crushed a 72 mph off-speed pitch.
Miami nearly took the lead in the fifth, but Dickerson jumped up in left-center and saved a possible homer by Adeiny Hechavarria.
Norris greeted Marlins reliever and losing pitcher Brad Ziegler (1-1) with a double to lead off the seventh. Walks by Daniel Robertson and Kevin Kiermaier loaded the bases with one out, and Norris scored on Steven Souza's groundout.
The Marlins protested what they thought might have been a late slide by Kiermaier into Gordon at second, breaking up a possible double play. But a video review showed it to be a legal slide.
Facing Junichi Tazawa in the eighth, the Rays extended their lead to 4-2 as Brad Miller led off with a walk, stole second and scored on a two-out single to center by Robertson.
NOTES: The Rays lead the Citrus Series 53-51. ... Rays 3B Evan Longoria (foot) did not play. ... Rays RF Steven Souza (left hand) returned to the lineup for the first time since getting hurt on Saturday. ... The Rays optioned RHP Ryan Garton (0-1, 11.57 ERA) to Triple-A Durham. ... There are only two Taiwan natives active on major league-rosters: Marlins LHP Wei-Yin Chen and Rays RHP Chih-Wei Hu. ... Rays third base prospect Patrick Leonard, 24, was named the International League Player of the Month. He leads the Triple-A league with a .412 batting average, and no hitter is within 50 points. ... Miami led the majors in April with a .993 fielding percentage, making a league-low six errors. Tampa was tied for 15th with a .984 fielding percentage. ... RHP Edinson Volquez (0-3, 4.44 ERA) will seek his first Marlins victory on Tuesday in the second game of the series. Tampa Bay will start RHP Alex Cobb (1-2, 4.66).