MIAMI -- Facing Justin Bour with men on base is becoming a dangerous proposition for pitchers. Tanner Roark discovered that the hard way in the third inning of Monday's 8-7 win over the Nationals at Marlins Park.
Bour blistered a two-out grand slam off Roark to cap a six-run third inning for the Marlins, after they trailed the Nationals by six runs.
"That was a lot of fun," said Bour, who addressed the media wearing a T-shirt with a cartoon image of himself on it that read: "Bour's grand slam doughnuts."
"That was a great ballgame to be a part of," he said. "Down six, but we're never really out of it. Great at-bats. Just all-around good baseball. A lot of fun."
Grand slams mean 40% off pizza
With his smash to right, Bour pulled even with Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton for the club lead with 18 home runs. Stanton's homer tied the game at 7 in the seventh inning.
After batting .344 with 11 home runs and 21 RBIs in May, Bour has heated up again in June. Making his numbers more impressive is the fact he was on the disabled list from June 4-16 with a bruised left foot. In the four games since being reinstated, he is 6-for-12 with two home runs and eight RBIs.
"That's been nice because you never really quite know what 10 days off will do to you," manager Don Mattingly said. "Will you get out of your rhythm, and all that."
The lost time didn't prove too much. He had one rehab assignment game at Class A Advanced Jupiter and has not missed a beat.
"I was able to go down to Jupiter and get a couple of at-bats," Bour said. "I really didn't miss too much time. This is a great time to be a Marlin right now. We're winning ballgames. Just happy to be able to contribute."
Roark loaded the bases with two outs by allowing an infield single to Giancarlo Stanton, followed by walks to Christian Yelich and Ozuna. On a 2-2 pitch, Bour crushed an 84.2-mph changeup.
According to Statcast™, the home run projected at 414 feet with an exit velocity of 110 mph and a 20-degree launch angle.
Bour has been especially effective pulling the ball. Of his 61 hits, 55 have been pulled. Per Statcast™, his 93.1-mph exit velocity on balls to the pull side is tied for second most in the Majors among left-handed hitters with Eric Hosmer of the Royals. Texas' Joey Gallo tops the chart at 93.9 mph.
Bour now has three career grand slams, with his last coming on June 24, 2016, against the Cubs.
"In general, I think offensively you're starting to see some pretty big numbers, with Stanton, Marcell and J.B.," Mattingly said.