Infante's Double In 12th Lifts Marlins Over Padres
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Ozzie Guillen hardly had the look of a manager whose team had just won its season-best fourth straight game.
From winless ace Josh Johnson to struggling closer Heath Bell, the Miami Marlins have major issues.
"There's a lot going on," Guillen said. "We have a lot of concerns."
Still, after blowing an early five-run lead, Miami managed to pull out a wild game Friday night when Omar Infante doubled in the go-ahead run in the 12th inning for a 9-8 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Infante doubled to left-center off Josh Spence (0-1) with one out to score Hanley Ramirez, who led off with a walk. It was Infante's third hit and second RBI of the game.
Ramirez hit a three-run homer in a five-run first inning, and Giancarlo Stanton also connected.
Steve Cishek (4-0), the seventh Marlins pitcher, threw three scoreless innings for the win. With a runner on second, Jesus Guzman lined out to Infante at second base to end it.
Padres closer Huston Street left the game in the 10th with a strain near his pitching shoulder. The right-hander will undergo an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity of the injury.
"I don't think it's major," Street said. "It's not in my shoulder. It's more in my lat, up in the armpit. I think that's a positive sign."
The Padres scored one run in the ninth off Bell, their former closer, to send the game into extra innings.
Guzman led off the inning with a pinch-hit double. Cameron Maybin tied the score at 8 on a double to right before Bell got out of a bases-loaded jam.
Bell signed a $27 million, three-year contract to join the Marlins in the offseason. He has four blown saves in seven chances.
When asked about Bell's status as the team's closer, Guillen said: "Bell continues to struggle. We'll check (Saturday) to see about the situation. We have to do something about it. We can't be waiting anymore."
Ramirez and Stanton each homered in the first to stake Miami to a 5-0 lead. It was gone by the third.
After twice falling behind by one run, the Marlins scored twice in the seventh to take an 8-7 lead on RBI singles by Greg Dobbs and Infante.
The Marlins, who have had trouble generating offense, got off to a fast start when Ramirez hit a three-run shot with no outs in the first off Anthony Bass. Stanton followed two batters later with a two-run drive, a 425-foot rocket into the Padres' bullpen for a 5-0 lead.
Johnson escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half but couldn't get out of trouble in the third when the Padres scored six times, including a two-out, bases-loaded triple by Bass for his first major league hit.
Johnson is 0-3 in six starts and his ERA rose to 6.61. He allowed six runs and six hits in 2 2-3 innings.
"When you throw the ball over the middle of the plate, it's going to get hit," Johnson said. "You have to set guys up and not throw the ball in the middle of the plate. Terrible."
Johnson issued a leadoff walk to Will Venable, who scored on Chase Headley's one-out double. Nick Hundley followed with a two-out double and scored on Orlando Hudson's single. After consecutive walks, Bass sliced a ball to right field that scooted past Stanton all the way to the wall to give the Padres a 6-5 lead and knock Johnson out of the game.
The early exit taxed Miami's bullpen. Six relievers combined to allow two runs and nine hits over 9 1-3 innings.
Bass gave up six runs and six hits — just two after the first — in six innings. He had three walks, seven strikeouts, two wild pitches and a balk.
"Anthony did a great job of righting the ship, making pitches as he went along," Padres manager Bud Black said. "A lot of pitchers cave in there, say it's not their night, but not Anthony, which is really a great sign for him."
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