Stanton Smashes 30th HR, Marlins Fall To Brewers 8-4
MIAMI (AP) — Norichika Aoki showed he is capable of providing some pop at the plate.
Aoki hit a two-run home run and an RBI double to establish a career-high with three RBIs for the Milwaukee Brewers in an 8-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.
"He really was good today," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "Even the last ball they got to him in left-center, he hammered it. This is a big ball park and he goes deep to right-center and then hits a ball to the warning track in left-center. He hammered balls today."
Aoki, who hit his seventh homer, is batting .419 (13 for 31) during an eight-game hitting streak.
"Today is today, tomorrow is another day," Aoki said through a translator. "It's good to be on a hot stretch right now, but I just have to take it day by day."
Jeff Bianchi also provided the Brewers with an unlikely power source as he hit a three-run home run off Chad Guadin in the eighth inning to give the Brewers an 8-4 lead.
"He left a mistake out over the middle of the plate," Bianchi said. "I think he was trying to go down and away, and I think he just pulled it across the middle of the plate a little bit. I was able to capitalize on it."
"The three he's hit, he's really crushed," Roenicke said.
Ryan Braun drove in Milwaukee's other two runs to give him 98 RBIs, which leads the National League. The reigning NL MVP is looking for his fifth straight season with 100 RBIs.
The Brewers' Kameron Loe (6-4) and Marlins' Mike Dunn (0-2) each faced one batter and threw just two pitches.
"The bullpen struggled this week," Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said. "It's hard to keep the lead and they didn't do the job."
John Axford got one out for his 24th save.
Giancarlo Stanton hit his 30th home run and Gorkys Hernandez hit his first career long ball for the Marlins.
It's Stanton's second consecutive 30-homer season despite missing 30 games following knee surgery in July. He hit 34 in 2011 after hitting 22 as a rookie.
Stanton's estimated 436-foot drive off Shawn Marcum pulled Miami to 3-2. Hernandez's two-run shot off the top of the wall in left-center gave the Marlins a 4-3 lead. Hernandez homered for the first time in his 90th Major League at-bat.
Aoki's RBI double in the seventh inning off Dunn tied it 4-all tie before Braun gave the Brewers a 5-4 lead with an infield hit scoring Nyjer Morgan.
"We caught a break on Brauny's ball," Roenicke said. "We don't get many of those and it was real timely."
Loe retired the only batter he faced to pick up the win in relief of Shawn Marcum, who allowed four runs in 5 2-3 innings for the Brewers.
"Any time you go out there and they give you an early lead you obviously want to keep it," Marcum said. "I didn't do my job and keep it, but they went out there, battled back and got some big runs and big hits."
Marlins starter Wade LeBlanc allowed three runs in six innings.
"I definitely finished better than I started," LeBlanc said. "Against a lineup like those guys have, if you're not ready to roll from the first pitch, it's going to be tough to bounce back. Luckily, I was able to refocus and make some pitches."
A.J. Ramos made his major league debut by striking out Rickie Weeks, Braun, and Aramis Ramirez in the ninth becoming the first Marlin to strike out the side in his debut.
"The first time in the big leagues he pitches to the heart of the lineup and, not just because he struck out the guys, but the way he threw the ball, with a lot of confidence," Guillen said. "He wasn't afraid."
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