MIAMI -- The Marlins took a combined no-hitter into the sixth inning and held off a late rally in a 4-3 win over the Rays at loanDepot park on Saturday.
With three starting pitchers sidelined due to injury, the Marlins utilized a bullpen game for the second consecutive turn in this rotation spot. Seven relievers took the mound, with Tyler Zuber collecting his first career save.
Closer Pete Fairbanks allowed two runs in the ninth and left with the bases loaded and two outs after matching a career-high with 39 pitches.
After giving Miami 2 2/3 scoreless innings to open Tuesday’s win, righty Lake Bachar once again started things off and tossed three perfect frames on Saturday.
Right-hander Anthony Bender kept the line moving with a perfect fourth, highlighted by center fielder Esteury Ruiz’s diving catch to rob Yandy Díaz to open the frame.
Miami’s bid for a perfect game came to an end in the fifth, when leadoff batter Richie Palacios sent a grounder to the left side of the infield, where a shifted Javier Sanoja went to his backhand and one-hopped a throw that first baseman Connor Norby couldn’t pick. It went down as a throwing error on Sanoja.
Following a strikeout, lefty John King relieved Bender and hit Cedric Mullins with a pitch. But King got out of the jam by inducing an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to maintain the no-hitter.
With the game still scoreless in the bottom half of the fifth, Sanoja led off with his second home run of the season. Sanoja, who bunted for a hit in the second inning for the game’s first hit, pulled lefty Shane McClanahan’s first-pitch slider over the left-field wall. Miami tacked on a run on Joe Mack’s RBI double.
Tampa Bay broke up the no-hitter in the sixth on former Marlin Victor Mesa Jr.’s leadoff single to center against righty Calvin Faucher. After another single and a wild pitch, Faucher stranded the pair of runners in scoring position.
After the Marlins added two runs in the sixth on Sanoja’s RBI single and Liam Hicks’ pinch-hit sacrifice fly, Faucher worked a scoreless seventh.
In the eighth, righty Michael Petersen allowed a two-run double to Díaz. With two men in scoring position, he retired the next three batters in order without giving up another run.