Justin Bour provides power, Marlins rally past Diamondbacks
PHOENIX (AP) -- Pinch-hit home runs don't happen often. Pinch-hit grand slams almost never.
Justin Bour accomplished that rare feat Friday night, stepping to the plate as a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded to face reliever Tyler Clippard. Last season, Clippard gave up a pinch-hit homer to Bour. This year he did it again.
Bour's first career grand slam erased a four-run Miami deficit and the Marlins went on to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-6.
"Pinch-hitting is a hard thing to do so it's one of those moments I'm going to enjoy," Bour said.
Clippard (2-3) walked the next two batters then Christian Yelich doubled down the left field line off lefty Zac Curtis, scoring both runners to put Miami up 7-5. Marcell Ozuna capped the outburst with an RBI single off reliever Jake Barrett to make it 8-5.
"It was just one of those innings everything worked out for us," Miami manager Don Mattingly said.
Brian Ellington (1-0) pitched one-third of an inning in relief of starter Justin Nicolino to get the victory. A.J. Ramos tossed a scoreless ninth for his 19th consecutive save to open the season, the most in club history.
Nick Ahmed was a home run shy of the cycle for the Diamondbacks. His RBI triple in the seventh cut Miami's lead to 8-6.
Arizona starter Patrick Corbin cruised through six innings before getting in trouble. He left with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh after giving up a double to Giancarlo Stanton and walking two batters.
He wasn't happy about being yanked from the game by manager Chip Hale.
"You just want some trust in you," Corbin said. "Maybe show some trust in the starter that they can work their way out of that. I think my pitch count was down. I was throwing pretty well. It is tough. Nothing against the guys who came in. They can do their job but it is a tough way to blow the lead like that."
Bour hit Clippard's 1-0 pitch into the seats down the right field line, his second career pinch-hit homer. The other came off Clippard against the New York Mets last season.
"Just a really bad outing," Clippard said, "one of the worst of my career as far as execution. I threw only one strike and it got hit for a home run."
Bour homered for the first time in 20 career games at an NL West ballpark.
Jake Lamb's two-run double off Nicolino in the fifth put Arizona up 5-1.
Corbin had two hits, including an RBI double.
Paul Goldschmidt was 3 for 4. After a slow start this season, Goldschmidt is batting .396 (21 for 53) in his last 15 games to raise his average to .279.
The Diamondbacks fell to 10-23 at home.
O'BRIEN'S CHANCE
The Diamondbacks recalled OF Peter O'Brien from Triple-A Reno, where he had hit .330 with 52 RBIs in 51 games. His 17 home runs are the most in the minors.
Hale said O'Brien will play five of every six or seven days to get "a good sample size" to show how the young slugger can do at the major league level.
With a crowd at the corner outfield positions, Hale said David Peralta, normally the right fielder, would get more time in center.
O'Brien was 0 for 4 and struck out three times Friday, baffled by a series of curveballs.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Diamondbacks: OF/INF Chris Owings worked out before the game but remained out of the lineup for the fourth straight game with a sore left foot. Hale said he wanted to give Owings one more day before deciding whether he should play. ... RHP Shelby Miller (right index finger sprain) threw six shutout innings, allowing two hits and fanning 11, in a rehab start for Class-A Visalia on Thursday. The first five innings were perfect.
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP Jose Fernandez (9-2, 2.29 ERA) looks to set a franchise record with his ninth consecutive victory. He has a 1.38 ERA with 78 strikeouts in his last eight starts.
Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Godley (0-0, 0.00) will be recalled from Triple-A Reno to make his first major league start of the season.
