Carlos Lee hit his first home run as a member of the Miami Marlins and did it in grand style. Lee’s grand slam proved to be the difference maker as Miami held on for a 9-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. The win was the second straight for the Marlins amidst rumors of the team being potential sellers at the upcoming trade deadline.
Anibal Sanchez was dominant in his seven innings on the mound as he improved to 5-6 on the season. Sanchez struck out seven while winning for the first time since June 27th. The Cubs scored twice off the right-hander but one run was due to a Hanley Ramirez error, his eighth miscue of the season. Chad Gaudin was the first reliever out of the bullpen and struggled en route to allowing three runs without retiring a batter. Randy Choate came in and stopped the Cubs’ comeback attempt right there with a scoreless inning of relief. In the ninth, Heath Bell worked for a third straight day and did so again in scoreless fashion. It was Bell’s first appearance in the ninth since being relieved of his closer duties. The appearance was not a save, but it is possible Bell will see save chances again in the near future due to his recent success.
It was a big day on offense for the Marlins who blasted three home runs out of Wrigley Field including Lee’s grand slam. The home run was Lee’s sixth of the year and the 17th slam of his career. The veteran first baseman is now second on the active list of grand slam leaders, only trailing Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees. Omar Infante hit his eighth home run of the year, a two run blast in a three run fourth inning. In the seventh inning, Hanley Ramirez hit his 14th home run — it was the second blast in as many days for the Marlins’ third baseman.
Miami will try to win their third game in a row on Wednesday when they face Jeff Samardzija. Starting for Miami will be Josh Johnson who will look to rebound from a tough start.
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