SAN FRANCISCO -- After stumbling away from home during the first month of the season, the Marlins have finally regained their footing on the road.
For one night at least.
Backed by a relatively strong start from Sandy Alcantara and an offense that flexed its collective muscle early, Miami began its West Coast journey with a 9-4 win over the Giants on Friday.
Losers of seven of their first nine road games, this win came as a result of steady production throughout the lineup.
Liam Hicks hit a two-run home run in the first and finished with three RBIs, while Connor Norby added a three-run blast from the No. 9 hole.
Kyle Stowers, Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards added three hits apiece. Graham Pauley had two hits as the Marlins tied their season high with 16 hits and won their sixth straight at the Giants’ waterfront ballpark.
“From the very beginning I thought our approach was outstanding,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “Some of the takes to get ourselves into [favorable] counts, up and down the lineup, forced [Giants starter Adrian Houser] on the plate.”
Edwards also made a brilliant defensive play when he fielded Rafael Devers' sharp grounder up the middle, then made a backhand flip to Lopez to begin an inning-ending double play in the first.
All in all, it was a good day for McCullough’s club. Every starting position player had at least one hit while five players drove in runs.
Alcantara did enough to make it hold up, allowing three runs and nine hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked one.
“I like everything,” Alcantara said of his night. “A lot of strikes, mixing all my pitches. I’d rather take this one today than the last one. Six walks the last outing, today just one.”
Lake Bachar worked two innings, giving up nothing other than a solo home run to Jung Hoo Lee. John King then finished things off with a scoreless ninth.
The Marlins did all the damage they needed to in the first inning, a rarity this season. Most encouraging was that the brunt of it came with two outs.
After Jakob Marsee doubled leading off the game, Houser struck out Stowers on an 86 mph changeup, then got Lopez to whiff on an 89 mph slider before Edwards' RBI double and Hicks’ two-run home run.
Edwards has 34 hits this season, tied for second-most in the Majors.
Owen Caissie doubled leading off the second, then scored on Pauley’s RBI single. Miami tacked on another run in the third, then took full control on Norby’s 418-foot blast in the fourth that had an exit velocity of 104.3 mph.
Lopez’s RBI single in the sixth gave Alcantara all the run support he needed.
“Our swing decisions tonight were outstanding,” McCullough said. “It was just a really offensive clinic, one through nine with the type of quality at-bats.”