Late Homer Lifts Brewers Over Marlins, 13-12
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Heath Bell knew he cost the Marlins the game, and it hurt.
The Miami closer made a mistake and Aramis Ramirez hit it for a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers to a 13-12 win over the Marlins on Tuesday.
"We make errors and we pick each other up," Bell said. "I just unfortunately made an error that can't be picked up. It really stinks."
Livan Hernandez (2-1) pitched the 10th and picked up the win. He struck out John Buck, got Scott Cousins to fly out to center, but Jose Reyes connected on a 3-1 pitch and homered into the second tier above the Marlins' bullpen in right to make it 12-11.
"Just a little mistake from me lets the whole team down," said Bell, who was demoted from closer briefly after a rocky start to the season. "The guys battled. We could easily put our heads down and said, 'This game is over.'"
Bell (2-4) had been better lately, without a blown save opportunity since May 4. And he's always done well against the Brewers, holding them scoreless for 14 1-3 inning over the last 13 games.
"We got in a position to win, and I screwed up," he said.
Carlos Gomez led off with a walk. Norichika Aoki sent a 3-2 pitch to the warning track in center, but Cousins caught it.
Ryan Braun, who hit a three-run homer in the six-run sixth, struck out and on the play Gomez stole second. Ramirez hit a 0-1 pitch over the wall in center. His offense lifted the Brewers, who had blown a seven-run lead.
"When a guy throws that hard, all you got to do is hit it," Ramirez said, who also doubled in the third.
The Brewers beat the Marlins for the 10th straight game, the longest active winning streak in any intraleague series in the majors.
Justin Ruggiano, Logan Morrison, Buck and Cousins all homered for the Marlins, who scored nine runs off four relievers in the seventh and eighth innings after Milwaukee starter Marco Estrada held them in check and left with a 9-2 lead after six innings.
In the seventh, the Marlins chased Jose Veras with three runs, including Ruggiano's leadoff home run.
"After we gave the one away yesterday, we told ourselves we're not going to just fold today," said Cousins, hit his first career pinch-hit home run in a six-run eighth inning. "We battled. The whole team battled. Heath battled. Unfortunately, one pitch made the difference."
The Marlins batted around in the eighth. Kameron Loe lasted one-third of an inning and allowed four runs, highlighted by Bucks' two-run homer.
Francisco Rodriguez relieved Loe and allowed Cousins' homer. Reyes doubled, advanced on a throwing error and scored on Greg Dobbs' sacrifice fly to tie it at 11.
The collapse cost Estrada his first win of the season. It was the right-hander's second start since coming off the disabled list with a right quadriceps strain.
The Brewers scored six runs in the sixth, highlighted by Braun's three-run homer, his NL-leading 23rd, and Corey Hart's solo shot off Miami starter Anibal Sanchez.
Rickie Weeks went 3 for 4, with an RBI and two runs scored for Milwaukee.
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