With 7-run 3rd, Marlins cruise past Padres

June 14th, 2016

SAN DIEGO -- Ichiro Suzuki turned back the clock Monday night with a vintage performance that sparked the Marlins to a 13-4 victory over the Padres -- the most runs they've scored at Petco Park.
Ichiro went 3-for-4 with a pair of walks and three runs, while playing a fantastic right field. The three hits inched him within 23 of 3,000 in his career -- and within one of Pete Rose's all-time mark, counting the hits Ichiro accrued in Japan. Martin Prado and Justin Bour added three hits and a walk apiece for Miami.
Ichiro moves within 23 MLB hits of 3,000 as ... Ichiro watches from the stands?
"Obviously, Ichiro has been a pretty good spark plug for us at the top of the order," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "Then we added on tonight. We kind of kept going. To me, that made me feel a lot better because they've got a dangerous club over there. We've seen, they put some balls in the seats, and they can rattle off some runs on you. You've got to be careful."
Padres right-hander Colin Rea was roughed up, allowing eight runs over 2 2/3 innings in the shortest start of his career. Rea couldn't bounce back from a critical error by second baseman Adam Rosales, who dropped the throw on a routine double-play ball that would've ended the third. Five runs scored after the error.

"One play is not going to win or lose you a game," Rea said. "I wasn't making pitches before that, and I wasn't making pitches after that."
San Diego launched a quartet of solo blasts -- from Wil Myers, Matt Kemp, Rosales and Melvin Upton Jr. Miami starter Wei-Yin Chen limited the damage otherwise, tossing six innings and striking out seven.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Ichiro's 2 hits in 7-run third:Giancarlo Stanton's struggles prompted Mattingly to start Ichiro in right field. The decision paid off. In Miami's seven-run third, which broke open a 1-1 game, Ichiro started it with a single to left. He scored on Prado's two-run homer. And Ichiro got a second at-bat in the inning. This time, he legged out an RBI infield single. The two hits move 42-year-old closer to 3,000. Another milestone Ichiro is approaching is 4,256 hits, Rose's Major League record. Counting his 1,278 hits in nine seasons in Japan, Ichiro has 4,255 hits, one shy of Rose's mark. Now, this isn't recognized as a record, but it is still an impressive accomplishment.

Ichiro downplayed his milestones and was more focused on the Marlins bouncing back after losing two straight at Arizona.
"Of course any game is important, but the way we finished up in Arizona, it was good to get back and get the first one here," Ichiro said through his interpreter. "So it was a big win for us." More >
Myers on fire: Myers continued his torrid June with a first-inning shot into the right-field seats, evening the score at 1. It was Myers' seventh homer this month -- the most in the Majors. He tied Kemp for the team lead at the time -- until Kemp hit his 15th two innings later.

Chen back in win column: Chen collected his first win since May 11 against Milwaukee. The left-hander also made dubious team history in the process. He is the first Marlins pitcher to be credited with a win in a game he allowed four home runs. All were solo, so they didn't do much too much damage. Chen worked six innings, and struck out seven, while walking one. The long ball has been an issue of late for Chen, who has allowed seven homers in his past two starts.
"Even though I allowed a couple home runs, my teammates gave me a lot of support," Chen said. "They scored scored so many runs, but it's OK, if I give up a couple runs because the team will win the game for me. So I'm happy about that."

Bethancourt brings it: Padres backup catcher Christian Bethancourt got into a game as a pitcher for the second time this season -- and once again, he lit up the radar gun. Bethancourt tossed a scoreless top of the ninth, allowing a hit and a walk, while hitting 94 mph three times. He also recorded his first career strikeout, getting Marlins reliever Brian Ellington to look at a 79-mph changeup.

"It's a live arm, still with relatively zero pitching mechanics -- so just the arm whipping through the zone," said Padres manager Andy Green. "Not many people can stand up there and throw 95 like they're on a speed pitch at a carnival, but he does it pretty easily." More >
Perdomo in a pinch: When pinch-hitter Travis Jankowskisprained his right ankle while beating out an infield single, the Padres called on an unlikely pinch-runner -- Wednesday's starter Luis Perdomo. He advanced to second when Myers walked -- before recording his first career stolen base, taking off for third when he realized Chen wasn't paying attention to him.

QUOTABLE
"You never want to give them up. I think he's given up 15. It's like 13 solos. Those are the ones you don't mind. They don't hurt you so much. But his average with the league with runners in scoring position is really, really low. So there is kind of a trade off there with Wei-Yin. He's given up solos, but he hasn't given up runners when they're out there." -- Mattingly, on Chen's penchant for allowing home runs

WHAT'S NEXT
Marlins:Tom Koehler gets the middle of three at Petco Park on Tuesday at 10:10 p.m. ET. The right-hander is 4-6 with a 4.36 ERA in 12 starts. In his career, Koehler is 2-0 (1.80) against the Padres in three games with two starts.
Padres: Looking to rebound from his first poor home start of the year, Drew Pomeranz takes the ball against the Marlins, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. PT. Pomeranz leads Padres starters with a 2.44 ERA, but he allowed three runs over five innings against Atlanta on Wednesday.
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