Red Sox beat sloppy Marlins 5-3 for 5th straight win

BOSTON (AP) — Christian Arroyo hit a two-run single in Boston’s three-run fourth inning, and the Red Sox took advantage of Miami’s shoddy play Monday to hold off the Marlins 5-3 for their fifth straight victory.

Alex Verdugo added an RBI double and two hits for the Red Sox, who were coming off their first three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium since June 2011.

“I'm a big believer that when you come from that series (in New York), sometimes you have letdowns,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “To win (tonight) meant a lot. They grinded, they made pitches.”

Starling Marte hit a solo homer and two singles for Miami, which stranded 14 baserunners in its ninth loss in its last 10 games.

“I was really proud of the way the club played tonight,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “We just kept giving ourselves some chances. ... If we play like that with the same sort of intensity, we'll be fine.”

The Red Sox are a season-high 14 games over .500 at 37-23.

The Marlins completed a nine-game, 11-day road trip with just one win, with the first two losses coming in Fenway Park.

Monday's matchup was a makeup of the May 30 game that was rained out, with the conditions vastly different. The game-time temperature was 90 degrees. When the Marlins were previously in town, it was chilly and rainy for the three days.

Hirokazu Sawamura (2-0) got four outs for the victory, escaping a bases-loaded jam by striking out Jesús Aguilar. Adam Ottavino, the fifth reliever, worked 1 1/3 innings for his third save, retiring Jorge Alfaro on a groundout with runners on second and third after allowing a run.

“I felt good, I felt fine, but I was definitely a little tired there at the end,” said Ottavino, who pitched for the third straight day. “I felt like today was a huge win. We could have given this one...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Red-Sox-beat-sloppy-Marlins-5-3-for-5th-straight-16231689.php