Heyward, Freeman Lift Braves Over Marlins
MIAMI (AP) — Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman each drove in a pair of runs to help lead the Atlanta Braves to a 9-5 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday.
Ervin Santana (5-2) won for the first time since May 10 against the Cubs as he allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out four.
Craig Kimbrel got the last two outs for his 15th save of the season, which tied him with John Smoltz for the most saves in franchise history with 154.
Derek Dietrich and Casey McGehee each drove in two runs and Christian Yelich had three hits for the Marlins.
Jacob Turner (1-3) took the loss allowing five runs, four earned— in five innings. Six Miami pitchers combined to walk nine batters.
Miami bench coach Rob Leary was ejected in the bottom of the eighth inning by home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott for arguing balls and strikes during an at-bat by Giancarlo Stanton with David Carpenter on the mound.
Immediately after the ejection Stanton singled and McGehee drove him home with a double to pull Miami within 6-4.
Two batters later Marcell Ozuna brought the Marlins within a run with a base hit. Carpenter exited without recording an out in the four batters he faced.
Shae Simmons struck out slumping Jarrod Saltalamacchia to end the inning with runners on first and second. Saltalamacchia is 1 for his last 21.
The Braves scored three runs in the ninth off A.J. Ramos on Gerald Laird's RBI single, Ramiro Pena's squeeze bunt, and B.J. Upton's bases loaded walk.
Kimbrel came on in the bottom of the ninth with two runners on and the game appeared to be over on a ground ball by Stanton, but Pena dropped a routine throw to second on a fielder's choice, which loaded the bases for Miami.
Kimbrel calmly retired McGehee to end the game.
The Braves got to Turner in the third inning opening the scoring with three runs sparked by a two-run double to right by Freeman.
Heyward's two-run single in the fourth stretched the Braves lead to 5-0 as Turner walked three in the frame.
Dietrich's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth put the Marlins on the scoreboard and his RBI triple in the sixth cut the deficit to 5-2.
McGehee's sacrifice fly pulled Miami within 5-3, but Santana got Garrett Jones to bounce into an inning-ending double play--one of three double plays induced by Santana.
Tommy La Stella's first Major League RBI gave the Braves a 6-3 advantage.
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