Diaz's Homer Helps Cardinals Beat Marlins And Fernandez, 5-4
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MIAMI (AP) — Aledmys Diaz homered, doubled and drove in three runs against childhood pal Jose Fernandez, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins 5-4 Thursday.
Fernandez gave up five runs in five innings and fell to 26-2 at Marlins Park.
Miami's Dee Gordon, the 2015 NL batting and stolen bases champion, returned from an 80-game suspension for failing a drug test and went 0 for 4. Ichiro Suzuki doubled as a pinch hitter in the seventh for Miami and needs two hits for 3,000.
Diaz and Matt Holliday homered in the third inning against Fernandez (12-5), who had never previously given up more than one homer in a home game. His only other loss at Marlins Park came on opening day this year against Detroit.
Michael Wacha (6-7) allowed three runs in six innings, and three relievers completed an eight-hitter. Seung Hwan Oh pitched around a one-out single in the ninth for his seventh save.
Diaz and Fernandez were neighbors growing up in Santa Clara, Cuba, and the Cardinals enjoyed their reunion. Fernandez walked Jeremy Hazelbaker to start the third inning, and Diaz followed with his 14th homer.
Two batters later, Holliday hit his 18th homer just inside the right-field foul pole, prompting a rueful grin from Fernandez. The outing was his shortest since May 4.
The Cardinals homered in 17 consecutive games before being blanked in that department Wednesday.
Hazelbaker tripled and Diaz drove in a run with a double, his 25th, in the Cardinals' two-run fifth.
SUZUKI UPDATE
Suzuki received a standing ovation when he pinch-hit, and he responded with his 350th career double, raising his season average to .335. He has started only one of seven games on the homestand.
UNDER SIEGE
Marcell Ozell hit comebackers off Wacha (right leg) and Oh (left buttocks). Both stayed in the game.
BALK REVERSAL
The umpires took a Cardinals run off the board in the second inning. With runners at second and third and two out, Fernandez was about to intentionally walk No. 8 hitter Kolten Wong when third base umpire D.J. Reyburn called a balk. Fernandez protested, and after the umpiring crew conferred, second base ump Bill Welke waved off the balk.
Following the intentional walk, Wacha struck out to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
CARDINALS ROTATION
Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia will start Saturday on four days' rest, manager Mike Matheny said. Garcia threw 77 pitches Tuesday, when he gave up two earned runs in five innings and lost to the Mets.
TRAINER'S ROOM
RHP Lance Lynn, who underwent Tommy John surgery in November, threw to hitters again Thursday, and the Cardinals haven't ruled out his return this season.
UP NEXT
Cardinals RHP Mike Leake (7-8, 4.24), who is scheduled to start Friday, is 3-0 with an 0.44 ERA in three starts at Marlins Park. RHP Jose Urena (1-2, 5.34) will start for Miami.
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