Miami Marlins Doubled Up by Orioles on Leap Day

The Miami Marlins were doubled up 12-6 by the Baltimore Orioles in Spring Training action on leap day.

With 5,734 on hand at Ed Smith Stadium, the spring home of the Baltimore Orioles, the home team capitalized on poor control and good hitting to send the Miami Marlins to their second consecutive defeat.

Garrett Cooper got the Marlins off to a good start, with a first inning RBI-single scoring Jose Devers. The Orioles got that one back in the bottom of the inning, on a Renato Nunez single into center field scoring Anthony Santander.

Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara‘s control issues were on full display. He lasted only 1 2/3 innings, surrendering five hits and four walks for five earned runs. The Orioles poured it on in the second. Austin Hays started with an RBI-groundout, followed by a Nunez sacrifice fly. After a pitching change that would see Stephen Tarpley inherit runners on first and second, Chris Davis clobbered the ball into right-center for a 6-1 lead.

Trey Mancini singled another home in the third, and Santander scored on an error by Jon Berti to make it 8-1. Pedro Severino added a solo homer in the fourth off reliever Drew Steckenrider, in his first appearance of the spring.

The Marlins finally decided to bite back in the fifth, first on a Chad Wallach sacrifice fly, then with a Devers RBI-double and  Berti-RBI-single to make it a 9-4 ballgame. Jesus Sanchez singled home Harold Ramirez in the sixth to get Miami within four runs.

But that was as close as the Marlins got the rest of the way. Reliever Trevor Rogers, who had pitched a scoreless fifth, was tagged for another pair of Orioles runs in the sixth. Austin Wynns scored Jose Rondon on an RBI-double, and scored in turn on a Ramon Urias single. Nick Neidert surrendered a homer to Richard Urena in the eighth for the final Baltimore run.

Christian Lopes added a solo home run in the ninth, but it was way too little to make any impact on the Marlins fortunes for the day.

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Bright Spots for the Miami Marlins

Devers was two-for-three with two doubles, two runs, and an RBI.

Sanchez was two-for-three in the game, with a run scored and an RBI.

Lopes went two-for-two, with a single along with his ninth-inning shot.

Sterling Sharp was the only Marlins pitcher to not get scored on, pitching a perfect seventh and striking out two batters.

Next up for the Miami Marlins is another visit from the New York Mets, tomorrow at 1:05PM ET. Thanks for reading.