D-backs knock off slumping Marlins
Left-hander Patrick Corbin pitched 5 2-3 innings to win his major league debut Monday, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the slumping Miami Marlins 9-5.
The 22-year-old Corbin, who was called up from Double-A Mobile, struck out six and allowed three runs.
One day after jumping ahead 8-0, the Diamondbacks were up 7-0 by the fifth inning. Cody Ransom and Justin Upton hit two-run homers, and Willie Bloomquist had a two-run double.
The home team drew boos for the second straight day and lost for the eighth time in nine games. Miami tapped into a 1-2-3 bases-loaded double play and committed three errors, including one on a
Arizona added two runs in the ninth off struggling Marlins closer Heath Bell, working in a non-save situation. His ERA rose to 10.80.
Mark Buehrle (1-4) endured his worst outing this season. Facing Arizona for the first time in his 370th career start, the left-hander lasted only five innings and allowed seven runs - four earned - and eight hits.
Miami, expected to contend for a division title after an offseason spending spree, is 8-14 and last in the NL East as it begins a nine-game trip.
Corbin loaded the bases in the first, but Omar Infante's one-hopper to the pitcher started an inning-ending double play. The rookie settled down from there and didn't allow another hit until the fifth, when John Buck singled and pinch-hitter Donnie Murphy homered.
Arizona's starters have an ERA of 1.32 over the past four games.
Miami's Austin Kearns hit a two-run homer in the seventh after third baseman Ransom dropped a popup for an error. J.J. Putz pitched a scoreless ninth, reducing his ERA to 4.70.
Arizona's A.J. Pollock had a sacrifice fly and two hits to hike his average to .136.
Thanks to the retractable roof on the Marlins' new ballpark, a rainout may have been averted for a second day in a row. Announced attendance was 31,008, and the afternoon crowd included thousands of school groups that generated a high-pitched din throughout the game.
There were jeers from the adults in the stands during Arizona's five-run fourth inning.
Jose Reyes was back in the leadoff spot after being dropped to second for two games, but none of manager Ozzie Guillen's lineup changes seem to help. The Marlins fell to 2-6 against left-handers with a batting average of .188.
NOTES: Arizona LF Jason Kubel was scratched from the lineup shortly before the game because of illness. ... Before the game, the Diamondbacks optioned RHP Joe Martinez to Triple-A Reno. INF Geoff Blum (strained left oblique) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. ... Marlins RHP Ricky Nolasco, scheduled to start Tuesday at San Francisco, is 3-0 in three starts there with an ERA of 0.76. ... LHP Dan Jennings was in Triple-A and planning to attend a wedding shower with his fiancee this week in Iowa, but those plans were put on hold when he was called up to the majors for the first time. He joined the Marlins before the game and pitched a hitless sixth. ... Marlins attendance topped 30,000 for the eighth time in 11 home games.