MIAMI (AP) — Seiya Suzuki homered twice and tripled, Shota Imanaga threw seven innings of two-run ball and the Chicago Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 14-2 on Saturday.
A day after hitting an inside-the-park home run, Pete Crow-Armstrong went deep with a 437-foot drive into the upper deck seats for the Cubs.
Miguel Amaya had three hits and a walk. The Cubs’ catcher is 8 for 12 over the last three games. Patrick Wisdom also homered for Chicago, which finished with 17 hits.
“We got to relax a little bit late in the game,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It sets up the pitching really well.”
Imanaga (10-3) allowed four hits, walked two and struck out three. It was the rookie left-hander’s seventh start of seven completed innings.
“I was able to go into the seventh but my goal is try to get into the eighth inning,” Imanaga said through a translator. “They were aggressive early in the count and I was noticing that. It was kind of my game plan — let them hit it and keep going from there.”
The Cubs (65-65) are 14-7 since July 31 and reached .500 for the first time since they were 31-31 on June 5. They dropped to a season low nine games under .500 at 39-48 on July 3.
“We dug ourselves a big hole,” Counsell said. “It’s taken us a bit but this stretch, specifically at the end of August, we’ve played consistent baseball. It means that a lot of people are contributing. Consistency means you’re getting contributions up and down the roster.”
The Marlins have lost eight of nine and dropped to an NL-worst 46-83.
Chicago struck quickly against Miami starter Valente Bellozo (2-2) with Suzuki’s solo blast in the first. He drove Bellozo’s fastball over the wall in center.
Suzuki connected again off Bellozo in the third with a 446-foot shot for his third career multi-homer game and 18th of the season.
“I’ve been seeing the ball well the last couple of games,” Suzuki said through a translator. “It’s not anything particular today just the results were good. I just want to continue it (Sunday).”
Suzuki started in right field after being the designated hitter the last seven games.
“It’s a lot easier being involved, obviously playing the field,” Suzuki said. “You feel the momentum of the game.”
Crow-Armstrong’s two-run blast in the fifth made it 5-1. Later in the inning, a throwing error by Marlins reliever John McMillon allowed Amaya and Ian Happ to score.
Run-scoring doubles by Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger and Suzuki’s RBI triple in the seventh made it 10-2.
Imanaga retired the first nine until Miami’s Connor Norby homered to lead off the fourth. David Hensley also homered off Imanaga with a solo shot in the fifth.
Bellozo gave up six runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander walked five, struck out one and hit a batter.
“He was behind in the count a lot,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “(The Cubs) didn’t miss the fastball at the top of the zone. The walks caught up with him, and they made him pay.”
Miami infielder Vidal Brujan pitched the ninth and allowed Wisdom’s two-run blast.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: INF Xavier Edwards (lower back discomfort) will take swings Sunday after Schumaker said there were good results from the imaging test he underwent Saturday.. Placed LHP Andrew Nardi (left elbow muscle) on the 15-day injured list and recalled RHP George Soriano from Triple-A Jacksonville.
UP NEXT
RHP Javier Assad (6-3, 3.11) will start the series finale for the Cubs on Sunday. RHP Adam Oller (0-1, 9.64) will go for the Marlins.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
