MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Aguilar hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the ninth inning and the Miami Marlins defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-6 Wednesday night.
Aguilar drove the sinker from Dodgers reliever Edwin Uceta (0-3) over the wall in left for his 14th homer of the season and first at home.
“I can’t explain why, it’s mainly mental,” Aguilar said in Spanish of his home homer drought. “Thank God it was at an important moment to win the game against an excellent team.”
In addition to losing their third straight in the four-game set against the Marlins, the Dodgers will be without three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw. The 33-year-old left-hander was placed on the 10-day injured list because of left elbow inflammation.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to be,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Kershaw’s absence. “We’re trying to be smart about this and understand that we have the All-Star break. Obviously, there is a lot left of the season, so pushing him doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
Sandy León hit a leadoff single against Uceta and advanced to second on Jazz Chisholm’s sacrifice. Starling Marte was intentionally walked, and Uceta struck out Magneuris Sierra before facing Aguilar.
Zack McKinstry hit a one-out solo homer in the ninth against Miami reliever Anthony Bender (1-0) to tie it at 6-all. Bender struck out Mookie Betts and Gavin Lux after McKinstry’s homer.
Garrett Cooper had his first career multi-homer game for Miami with solo shots in the first and sixth.
“Today we needed runs; we got them early and kept getting them even when we got down,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. “We kept coming back. I thought that was huge.”
The Dodgers hit around and chased Marlins starter Ross Detwiler with a five-run third that erased a 2-0 deficit. Justin Turner’s three-run homer keyed the onslaught. Los Angeles also got solo blasts from A.J. Pollock and Betts.
Detwiler, one of the Marlins’ left-handed relievers, was called to start in the bullpen game for both teams. He allowed five runs and six hits in 2 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking one.
Cooper gave Miami an early with a solo shot off Dodgers starter Jake Reed in the first. Cooper drove Reed’s slider over the center field wall for his eighth homer of the season.
Sánchez hit his third homer, a solo shot off Los Angeles reliever Mitch White, in the second.
“No matter what is said on paper, you still have to go out and play the game and do all the things right,” Turner said of the Dodgers, who arrived in Miami on a nine-game winning streak. “Except we’re not doing the little things right now and it seems like we’re playing for every mistake.”
Reed, who made his major league debut Tuesday, was lifted after one inning.
HOLLOWAY SAVES THE BULLPEN
With five relievers unavailable because of heavy workload lately, Mattingly expected to piece the innings with the options he had Wednesday. Holloway helped reduce the load with 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. The right-hander allowed two hits and struck out six.
“I wanted to give our bullpen the best opportunity to help them out,” Holloway said. “Obviously, it went well. I went about my business and turned out to be a longer relief appearance.”
SCORING CHANGE
The play that resulted in the Marlins’ first run of their 2-1 win Tuesday originally was ruled a fielding error on Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux off a hard hit grounder by Jesús Aguilar that scored Starling Marte. After the game, the ruling was reversed and Aguilar got credited with an RBI single.
TRAINER’S ROOM
RHP Cody Poteet (sprained right knee) and RHP John Curtiss (neck stiffness) continue with their throwing programs.
UP NEXT
LHP Julio Urias (10-3, 3.81) will start the series finale for the Dodgers on Thursday afternoon. The Marlins will go with RHP Sandy Alcantara (5-7, 2.96).
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