Jesus Sanchez was 2-for-4 and hit a tape-measure homer as the host Miami Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 on Sunday afternoon to split their four-game series.
In doing so, Miami cooled off the Cubs, who had won six of nine games since a loss in Seattle on April 12.
Sanchez started off the scoring in the top of the second inning by crushing a 460-foot homer to straightaway center off Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks — the majors’ third-longest homer of the season behind Mike Trout (473 feet) and Ketel Marte (461 feet), per Statcast.
The Cubs evened it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning when Mike Tauchman doubled and scored on Nico Hoerner’s two-out single to left.
The Marlins struck for three runs the soft way in the fourth. Miami touched Hendricks for four straight singles to start the inning, with Sanchez and Tim Anderson driving in runs. Sanchez scored on Emmanuel Rivera’s groundout for a 4-1 Marlins lead.
The Cubs scored two in the bottom of the fourth when Hoerner’s fly ball into the sun dropped into right for a double and Tauchman scored. On the next pitch, Marlins left fielder Nick Gordon lost Cody Bellinger’s popup in the sun and Alexander Canario scored, cutting Miami’s lead to 4-3.
Miami added on again on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s RBI single in the fifth. The Marlins went up 6-3 in the top of the seventh when Nick Fortes doubled and went to third on a wild pitch, and after a pair of walks, scored on Josh Bell’s grounder to second.
A quartet of Marlins relievers kept the Cubs off the scoreboard after the fourth, and Tanner Scott pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save.
Miami right-hander Edward Cabrera (1-0) threw five innings in a 96-pitch start, giving up three runs on seven hits despite striking out seven.
Chicago starter Hendricks (0-3), in his 11th season for the Cubs, lasted four innings, giving up four runs on six hits while throwing only 56 pitches. He struck out five and didn’t issue a walk.
The Cubs won the series opener 8-3 before the teams split Saturday’s day-night doubleheader, with Miami winning the opener 5-3 before the Cubs took the nightcap 6-3.
–Field Level Media