Brewers triple their fun with 10-1 over Marlins
MIAMI - The Milwaukee Brewers are running away with the triples crown.
They may also have found a gem for their rotation.
The Brewers used seven shutout innings from fill-in starter Alfredo Figaro and three triples from on offense that leads the majors in that category to defeat the Miami Marlins, 10-1, Wednesday night at Marlins Park.
The win gave the Brewers (27-38) the deciding game of the three-game series. The Brewers are off until starting a weekend set at Cincinnati on Friday. The Marlins (19-46) are off until hosting the St. Louis Cardinals for a three-game series that also starts Friday.
Two of the triples were by center fielder Carlos Gomez, who went 4 for 5 with three RBI and three runs scored.
Gomez tripled and scored in the fifth, and tripled and drove in three runs and then scored in the sixth, putting the Brewers up 10-0. His first triple was to right-center and his second went down the right-field line.
That latter hit was Gomez's eighth triple of the season. He is tied for the major-league lead in that category with teammate Jean Segura.
"Gomez and Segura are going to hit triples because they're fast, and they have the ability to drive the ball to the gaps," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "Our other guys - just sometimes the ballparks, they're hitting them in good spots."
That's what happened with catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who hit the Brewers' other triple of the night, driving in three runs with his first-inning three-bagger.
As a team, the Brewers lead the majors with 28 triples and have at least one three-bagger in 11 of their past 12 games. They have also tripled in six straight games, one off the club record set in 2007.
Figaro (1-0), making just his fourth start of the season - he has pitched in relief 16 times - allowed just three singles and no walks.
The 28-year-old Dominican spent the past two years pitching in Japan before signing a minor-league contract with the Brewers in January. He then beat out fellow pitcher Donovan Hand for the last spot on the 25-man roster.
"I like being a starter," said Figaro, whose fastball was clocked in the upper 90s Wednesday. "I've been a starter all my life. I wish I could be a starter (again). We'll see what they are thinking."
Roenicke said he was taking a similar wait-and-see approach.
"Until Marco (Estrada) is back, and we'll see what happens with (Chris) Narveson with his next (rehab) start," Roenicke said.
"(Figaro) certainly made a case to continue on with this. We'll see how it slots in with the off days, but he was really good. Figgy had fastball command right off, offspeed pitches over the plate."
Figaro said he knew he had a "huge" field to play with at Marlins Park, which gave him more confidence to throw his fastball. Getting an early lead also helped him throw "more free," Figaro said.
Meanwhile, Marlins' starter Kevin Slowey (2-6) was getting hit early and often. He allowed nine hits and six runs, five of them earned, in five innings.
Marlins manager Mike Redmond praised Slowey's effort, given the circumstances.
"We asked him to do a lot after throwing eight innings in New York and coming back on three-days rest," Redmond said. "But testament to him, he gave us everything he had. He just didn't have as good of command."
Redmond said he was disappointed with how his team performed one day after a stirring comeback win.
"This was probably the worst game we played all year," Redmond said. "We're definitely disappointed, but that happens sometimes."
NOTES: Giancarlo Stanton's homer on Tuesday was the 97th of his young career. But it was also quite rare for the Marlins'slugger in that it was the first time one of his homers had turned a late-inning deficit - defined as anything from the eighth on - into an advantage. ... Tuesday's attendance of 13,110 was a new low for Marlins Park, which opened last year. ... When Brewers right fielder Norichika Aoki was caught looking at a strike-three pitch from Jacob Turner to lead off Tuesday's game, it snapped an impressive streak. Aoki had gone 72 plate appearances without a strikeout, the longest run by a Brewers hitter since Fernando Vina, who reached the same number in 1998. Before Turner, the last player to strike out Aoki was the Pirates' Jeff Locke, who did it on May 25. ... Marlins' RHP Ricky Nolasco is on the trading block, according to reports on ESPN.com and CBSSports.com. The Giants, Yankees and Orioles are reportedly the front-runners for Nolasco's services, and the deal could happen well before the July 31 trade deadline. Nolasco, who has been with the Marlins since 2006, could fetch a decent prospect or prospects in return. ... Marlins'third baseman Placido Polanco (back injury) may return Friday. ... Marlins'outfielder Chris Coghlan, who was put on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, may be out longer than two weeks. His injury, which at first was reported as a problem with his right calf, is now being called a lower-back strain.
