Alcantara, Cooper lift Marlins past Braves 3-2

ATLANTA (AP) — Sandy Alcantara pitched six strong innings, Garrett Cooper homered and drove in two runs, and the Miami Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 on Saturday.

Tempers were calm a day after Pablo López was ejected for hitting Ronald Acuña Jr. on his first pitch of the game. The Marlins got a big assist from Alcantara, who saved the bullpen from extra work a day after Miami had to use five relievers to cover nine innings.

Alcantara (5-7) walked the first two batters he faced and issued two free passes in the third, but didn’t allow a hit until Ozzie Albies singled with two outs in the third. He gave up one unearned run and five hits with four walks and four strikeouts, improving to 2-0 with a 2.68 ERA in six career starts against Atlanta.

Yimi Garcia earned his 13th save in 16 chances after facing four batters in the ninth. He got pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval to pop up and Acuña to strike out before Freddie Freeman singled. Albies lined out to end it.

The Marlins led 2-0 in the third. Jon Berti singled, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s single to right. Chisholm moved up on Starling Marte’s walk and scored on Cooper’s single.

Cooper began the sixth with his seventh homer, taking rookie starter Kyle Muller deep into the right-field seats, making it 3-1.

Atlanta trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the fifth. Acuña reached on a fielding error by third baseman Berti, advanced to third on Freeman’s single and scored on a single by Albies, the NL leader with 59 RBIs.

The Braves, who managed just two hits in Friday’s 1-0 win, scratched out a run in the seventh to pull within 3-2. A two-base fielding error by Miami left fielder Jesús Sanchez allowed pinch-hitter Ehire Adrianza to reach. Adrianza advanced on a wild pitch by Dylan Floro and scored on...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Alcantara-Cooper-lift-Marlins-past-Braves-3-2-16292259.php