Major League Baseball

Marlins walk off on back-to-back HRs in 9th

Published Aug. 3, 2009 1:52 a.m. ET

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Cody Ross had shaving cream caked on his collar, while Dan Uggla had the stuff dripping from his neck and earlobes.

Back-to-back solo homers in the ninth inning to win a game - on consecutive pitches, no less - left the Florida Marlins in a delirious mood.

Two outs from defeat, Uggla and Ross turned the Marlins' fortunes around with two mighty swings. Uggla tied it with his 19th homer, Ross followed with his second of the day and 17th of the year, and Florida beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Sunday to move within five games of Philadelphia for the NL East lead.

"We've got one thing in mind," said Ross, who also made two sliding catches in center field and hit a game-ending home run for the second time in his career. "I think everyone knows what that is."


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Kevin Gregg (4-3) blew a save for the second straight night for the Cubs, his fifth failure in 26 opportunities this season. The former Florida closer retired pinch-hitter Hanley Ramirez to lead off the ninth, then fell behind 3-1 to Uggla, who settled in and waited for an off-speed offering.

Boom! His no-doubter into the blue seats high above the left-field scoreboard tied it at 2.

"I've seen Gregg a lot, and the last few years he's been as dominant as anybody," said Uggla, wiping away remnants of the obligatory shaving-cream-in-the-face celebration in the clubhouse.

Uggla hadn't even caught his breath when Ross connected, and the Marlins ended their homestand with a mob scene at home plate.

"It wasn't pretty," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "The thing finished quick."

Brendan Donnelly (2-0) allowed his first run in 11 innings as a Marlin - a first-pitch shot by Jake Fox leading off the ninth. It was Fox's eighth homer of the season.

Alas, that was just the start of the late-game heroics.

"It was two pitches," Gregg said. "Twenty-five guys put together a great effort and two pitches are why we walk out of here losing."

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