Miami Marlins: Martin Prado delivers Dan Jennings’ first win

A night after being on the wrong end of a 13-run contest with the Baltimore Orioles, the Miami Marlins evened the ledger with a 1-0 victory in a game that took 13 innings for either team to scratch across a run.

That run was courtesy of Martin Prado‘s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the 13th inning. His first and only hit of the night was the one that mattered, as it scored Adeiny Hechavarria and the Marlins finally ended their eight-game losing streak, that included an 0-5 start for new manager Dan Jennings. Jennings, who really has no business being in that dugout, is now 1-5 as Miami skipper, and despite the dreadful skid the Fish have the chance to win the series if they can knock off the Orioles in this afternoon’s rubber match.

Both clubs enjoyed spectacular outings by their respective starting pitchers. Dan Haren gave the Marlins six shutout (obviously) frames in which he struck out six and walked three. Despite Baltimore getting a couple runners on base in the top of the first, Haren was able to tight rope out of danger and keep the Birds off the board.

Baltimore starter Mike Wright one-upped Haren with seven shutout innings of his own. The 25-year-old struck out four, walked three and the Marlins lineup scattered just three hits off the righty.

The Orioles had nine hits on the day, and the Marlins just seven, all singles. But the Marlins held their own and came out on top in the third game in franchise history to go scoreless into the 13th inning or later.

The real hero of the night for Miami very well might have been Carter Capps. Fresh off a recent promotion from Triple-A New Orleans, the hard-throwing right hander worked three innings of relief, the 11th-13th frames, and was absolutely masterful, striking out six and making the Baltimore hitters look downright silly. Chalk it up to whatever you want–batter fatigue, perhaps they kind of stopped caring late in the game and just wanted to get the night over with–whatever the case, Capps, Miami’s fifth reliever to work in the game, bailed the bullpen out and kept multiple arms fresh for today’s game. Capps also earned his first win of the season, and his ERA dropped to a sparkling 1.50.

Another crucial moment in the contest occurred in the bottom of the 12th, when Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz was tossed for having a foreign substance on his arm. Matusz was the third Baltimore reliever to work in the game, and he has mostly started throughout his career, so he probably could have given the team multiple innings if needed. T.J. McFarland was called upon following the ejection, and ultimately served up the game-winning hit to Prado.

Today the Birds and Fish play the rubber match of the three-game set at Marlins Park. The Marlins haven’t won a series since May 1-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies, so the reeling Fish are more than overdue for a breakthrough.

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Miami Marlins: Martin Prado delivers Dan Jennings’ first win

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