Marlins Blanked Again By Brewers, 1-0
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Caleb Gindl was expecting to celebrate with his teammates at home plate after his homer.
They had other ideas.
Gindl hit his first career home run in the bottom of the 13th inning and the Brewers beat Miami 1-0 on Sunday, shutting out the punchless Marlins for the third consecutive game.
"When I hit it, I thought it had a chance, but I wasn't sure," Gindl said. "I actually thought it was going to go foul, and it snuck in there for me."
As Gindl completed his home run trot, he turned around third expecting to see all his teammates.
All he saw was Jean Segura.
John Axford said the team planned it that way.
"Nobody did except for Segura," Axford said. "I don't think he got the memo. Everyone took off and went and hid in the tunnel. Segura was there for him, to congratulate him, though."
The Marlins' offense finished off a weekend they would rather forget.
Miami has gone a club-record 37 innings without a run, the longest drought by a major league team in 28 years. The Houston Astros were held scoreless for 42 consecutive innings in July 1985, according to STATS.
The Marlins haven't scored since Derek Dietrich drove in two runs in the fourth inning of a 5-2 loss in 10 innings to the Washington Nationals on July 14.
Sunday's game was the longest scoreless game in the majors since Boston won 1-0 in 16 innings at Tampa Bay on July 17, 2011.
The Brewers were the last team in the majors to produce a shutout this season, but now have eight in the team's past 31 games. While the Marlins have been blanked 12 times.
Axford (4-3), the fourth reliever for the Brewers, pitched the 12th and 13th for the win. He helped the Brewers pitching staff set a franchise record with 35 scoreless innings. The previous record of 31 was set April 18-22, 1990.
Facing reliever Ryan Webb (1-4) in the bottom of the 13th, Gindl hit a 1-0 pitch down the left-field line and around the pole, dropping just over the wall and sending what remained of the crowd of 30,773 into a frenzy.
Gindl was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on July 11. He made his second stint with the team this season a special one even though he doubted it would happen.
"I didn't think I would be the one to hit the walk-off," he said after becoming the first player in franchise history to hit a walk-off home run for his first career homer.
"No, not a chance. I thought maybe Brauny or Rickie or somebody like that, but not me."
The Brewers beat the Marlins for the 14th time in the past 17 games at Miller Park, dating to 2009. Miami has just five wins in its past 22 games against Milwaukee.
"It's really tough to see every single guy in the lineup struggle," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "I don't think I've seen that before."
Ed Lucas, one of only three batters to get a hit, agreed with his manager.
"We just can't get that timely hit," he said. "It's pretty embarrassing to have a three-game series and not score a run."
Miami's Henderson Alvarez and Milwaukee's Wily Peralta had a stellar pitching duel.
Alvarez allowed five hits and a walk in seven shutout innings and Peralta gave up two hits and two walks and seven strikeouts in eight shutout innings.
"I felt like I was locked in from the first pitch," Alvarez said. "I was very excited to get my first hit."
Adeiny Hechavarria singled in the third and had a bloop hit in the ninth. He raised his batting average to .428 (27 for 63) while hitting safely in 15 of his past 16 games in that span. Alvarez got his first major league hit in the third. He grounded a single past first baseman Juan Francisco.
Alvarez made his fourth start since being recalled July 4. He began the season on the 60-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation.
The 23-year-old right-hander made a nice fielding play to start a double play in the third.
The next batter, Norichika Aoki, pushed a bunt between the mound and first that Alvarez raced after, but couldn't field.
Logan Schafer followed with an infield single to third with Aoki advancing to third on the play.
Alvarez escaped the jam when he knocked down Segura's liner back to the mound. He tumbled as he fell, but his off-balance throw got to first in time to end the inning.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press
