Hechavarria launches Marlins to 10-inning win
DENVER -- Adeiny Hechavarria launched a go-ahead solo homer off reliever Boone Logan in the 10th inning, propelling Miami to a 3-2 series-clinching victory over the Rockies on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field.
"My last at-bat, I wasn't looking for a home run," Hechavarria said through an interpreter. "I already had three at-bats today and hadn't gotten a hit, so I was just looking to get a hit in that at-bat. Fortunately, it was a home run."
Hechavarria's third homer of the year and first since April 25 came on an 83 mph pitch from Logan (0-2) and gave the Marlins their third straight series win. It also made a winner out of reliever Sam Dyson (3-2), who tossed a scoreless ninth. Closer A.J. Ramos delivered a clean 10th for his seventh save.
Video: MIA@COL: Ramos fans Tulo to notch the save
Logan thought the result would be better.
"Off the bat, I didn't think he got it," Logan said. "Then I went back and saw the replay, and he barreled it up."
Carlos Gonzalez's game-tying homer off Carter Capps in the seventh spoiled a win for Marlins rookie right-hander Jose Urena, who gave up three hits and one run over six innings in just his third Major League start.
Miami gave Urena a 2-0 lead in the first on Marcell Ozuna's two-run single to a shortstop slot vacated because Tulowitzki was shifted to the middle. But Rockies starter Kyle Kendrick yielded just one hit and a walk after the opening frame. In total, he gave up five hits and two runs over seven innings, which included setting down 12 straight after Christian Yelich's first-inning single.
"It's one of those things where we hit some balls, some at-'em balls," Marlins manager Dan Jennings said. "But at the same time, the bullpen gave us the opportunity to stay in it and continue to get that chance. We took advantage of it in the 10th, and sometimes, you're going to be in games like that."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Damage control: Urena worked himself into a corner in the fourth, giving up two singles and a walk to load the bases with one out. Nolan Arenado had a chance to do significant damage with the Rockies down, 2-0, but he only mustered a sacrifice fly to left. Urena then got Wilin Rosario to ground out, limiting the damage to just a single run. More >
Video: MIA@COL: Arenado plates Blackmon with a sac fly
Don't blame it on the shift: The knee-jerk reaction would be to blame the shift for the two runs scored off Kendrick; however, the strategy is based on large sample sizes. The moves are numbers based, but rarely are those numbers 100 percent to zero.
"We shifted," Kendrick said. "Sometimes it works out. Sometimes you kind of get bit in the butt like that. More times than not the ball's going to be hit at him. It found a hole."
Video: MIA@COL: Ozuna singles in a pair to open the scoring
Patience: What has allowed Gonzalez to turn from bitter disappointment early to a .346 hitter since May 22? He is not just swinging at strikes, but swinging at the strikes he wants. In the home run to conclude an eight-pitch at-bat, Capps threw four 99 mph pitches. One such heater Gonzalez took for a strike, two were balls and another he fouled off to hold the count at 2-2 before launching his homer, on an 85 mph slider, into the Rockies' bullpen.
Video: MIA@COL: CarGo belts a solo shot to even the game
Capping it off: After giving up the game-tying homer and then putting two guys on via a walk and a hit batsman, Capps buckled down to limit the damage for the Marlins. With one down, he struck out Brandon Barnes and pinch-hitter Rafael Ynoa back-to-back to end the frame. Ynoa's at-bat lasted nine pitches before Capps froze him with an 86 mph slider. Capps entered Saturday with a 0.82 ERA in eight appearances.
QUOTABLE
"We did what we had to do from a bullpen perspective to give us a shot." -- Jennings said
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Rockies' John Axford pitched a spotless top of the ninth with the score tied. Axford has a 0.53 ERA in 18 appearances, with the only earned run occurring May 26. Opponents are hitting .177.
REPLAY REVIEW
Rockies catcher Nick Hundley tried to surprise Capps with a bunt with runners at first and second and no outs in the seventh. Capps fired to Martin Prado at third, and Arenado was called safe. But the call was reversed after a Marlins challenge and a 1-minute, 39-second review. It was a strategic backfire against Rockies manager Walt Weiss, after Capps had walked Arenado and hit Rosario.
"First and second, nobody out, we were trying to get two runners in scoring position," Weiss said. "I put the bunt down."
Video: MIA@COL: Call is overturned, Marlins get the out
WHAT'S NEXT
Marlins: Miami heads north of the border for a three-game series against Toronto -- with Brad Hand going in Monday's opener at 7:07 p.m. ET. This will the first meeting between the Marlins and Blue Jays since the teams' blockbuster trade in 2012, which notably sent Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio to Toronto. The Marlins received seven players, including three guys still on Miami's roster -- Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez and Jeff Mathis.
Rockies: David Hale (1-0, 4.26 ERA) will make another start for the Rockies after Weiss shuffled his rotation to give guys extra rest. It will come against the National League Central-leading Cardinals and right-hander John Lackey (4-3, 2.93) in Monday's three-game series opener at 6:40 p.m. MT (Root Sports Rocky Mountain/850 KOA).
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