(TSX / STATS) -- TORONTO -- The New York Yankees feel they have a lot more to accomplish this season.
They took the first step Saturday when Greg Bird's three-run homer and Sonny Gray's solid start lifted them a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays to clinch an American League wild-card spot.
"We've got to keep working," Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. "We're not done yet. This is just the beginning.
"We've got a lot of goals for this team, a lot of stuff we want to do. Getting a chance to be in the postseason, we've got to keep it rolling and finish strong."
Todd Frazier also homered for the Yankees (86-68).
Relievers Chad Green, David Robertson and Aroldis Chapman each pitched a perfect inning to finish the game.
Teoscar Hernandez homered for the Blue Jays (72-83).
"We've got one of the best bullpens in all of baseball and we've got a stacked lineup and we have fun and go out and compete," said Judge, who has 46 homers. "We compete our butts off every single pitch, we don't take a pitch off."
The Yankees are on a 16-6 run and still have a mathematical chance to finish first in the AL East.
"It's a great accomplishment," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We learned a lot about our young players, our veteran players. To see the kids kind of grow up in front of you, it's special.
"We're still playing for the division. Obviously, I have to be smart. I can't run guys out there 10 days in a row. That doesn't make sense."
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is impressed with the Yankees.
"They're young and talented," Gibbons said. "They've got a lot of pop in their lineup. They've got some good pieces to go along with it. Some speed with (Jacoby) Ellsbury and (Brett) Gardner.
"They've got some good starting pitching and arguably one of the best bullpens, if not the best. They can be as tough as anybody."
Gray (10-11) won for the fourth time against six losses since joining the Yankees in a trade with the Oakland Athletics on July 31 by holding the Blue Jays to one run and four hits.
Toronto starter Joe Biagini (3-12) continued to look for his first win since June 21 after allowing three hits, including a home run, four walks and three runs in five innings. He is 0-6 in his past eight starts.
"I've established some consistent inconsistency," Biagini said. "The maddening thing for me is that I kind of see spurts of little parts of my game come out occasionally that I feel are good and that's what I feel I should be doing and tap into a little bit more."
Hernandez hit his fourth homer since being called up for September, and his second in two days, in the third inning.
Bird hit his sixth homer of the season with one out in the fifth on a first-pitch cutter. It also scored Chase Headley and Starlin Castro, who had walked, giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead.
"What a team to be a part of," Bird said. "What a group. We were just trying to get (Gray) runs. We haven't got him many runs the last few starts."
"(Biagini) definitely had his fastball going early and we tried to keep that going as long as we could," Blue Jays catcher Raffy Lopez said. "He lost it a little bit, so we had to try use more of his other pitches.
"He still did a good job. The cutter we were trying to go up and in (to Bird) and it was middle in and he put a pretty good swing on it. The fifth inning maybe he got a little tired. A hot day in late September, a guy who is trying to get extended out as a starter."
Danny Barnes replaced Biagini and pitched a perfect sixth. Aaron Loup pitched around a single in the seventh.
Frazier hit his 27th homer of the season in the eighth against Tim Mayza.
The Yankees scored a run in the ninth off Luis Santos on a double by Gary Sanchez, a walk to Headley, a fielder's choice grounder to first by Ellsbury and an infield single to third by Castro.
"We're a lot better than a lot of people thought we were," Headley said. "This is my second postseason in 11 years so I'm enjoying it.
"Obviously, we have more work to be done, but any time you have a chance to play in the postseason, you can't take it for granted. A lot of guys play a long time and don't have this chance."
NOTES: Yankees OF Brett Gardner was 0-for-4 Saturday to end an 11-game hit streak. ... Toronto INF/OF Steve Pearce (stiff lower back) will not play for the rest of the season. He had not played since Sept. 8 when he left the game after one inning. ... Yankees RF Aaron Judge struck out for the 200th time this year in the first inning, the first player this season to reach that plateau. It is a major league record for a rookie. ... Yankees LHP Jaime Garcia (5-9, 4.19 ERA) will oppose Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman (12-8, 3.01) in the series finale on Sunday.
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Saturday, September 23, 2017
Correa, Gattis lead Astros over Angels
(TSX / STATS) -- HOUSTON -- With Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel the only locks for the postseason rotation, Houston Astros starters have firmed up their candidacies recently with a string of noteworthy performances, with right-hander Charlie Morton again underscoring his viability on Saturday.
Morton worked seven innings for the first time since Aug. 5, while Carlos Correa recorded his first three-hit game since returning from the disabled list and teamed with Evan Gattis to pace the Astros to a 6-2 victory over the fading Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park.
Correa finished 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs, posting his fifth three-hit game and sixth game with three-plus RBIs. Correa got the Astros (95-59) on the board with a run-scoring single in the first inning before adding a two-out RBI double in the fifth and an RBI single in the seventh.
Gattis followed the Correa double in the fifth with a three-run homer for his 12th on the season. The Astros' four-run rally came against right-hander Eduardo Paredes, who relieved Angels starter Bud Norris (2-6) with one out in the fourth inning. Gattis also posted three RBIs.
The top four hitters in the Astros order finished a combined 8-for-14 and scored all six runs.
"We could have won in a lot of different ways today but those guys that are normally at the bottom of our order, step up at the top of our order and produce," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "It was a good day."
Morton (13-7) capitalized on the early lead by producing an efficient outing to complement that run support, allowing one run on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
Morton faced the minimum over his first five innings, inducing a pair of inning-ending double plays to erase singles by Albert Pujols in the second inning and Brandon Phillips in the fifth. Morton had just 42 pitches on his ledger entering the sixth, completing the second and third innings on nine pitches each while tossing five pitches in the fourth inning and eight in the fifth.
"My sinker was moving pretty good today," Morton said. "They were aggressive and stacked righties. I threw some decent changeups, some decent sinkers and fortunately the balls that were put in play found some guys."
Said Angels center fielder Mike Trout of Morton: "He had good stuff today. He was sinking it, cutting it obviously with that curveball. He threw a couple of changeups as well. Just keeping us off-balance and we were just missing pitches."
Angels' left fielder Justin Upton ended the shutout bid with a leadoff home run in the seventh inning, his 33rd on the season. Upton added his 34th homer leading off the ninth against Astros reliever Will Harris for his 16th career multi-homer game.
The Angels (76-78) mustered just five hits total while suffering their season-high-tying sixth consecutive defeat with the second American League wild card on the line.
"Right now there is a number of guys who are not having hits fall in, that are struggling a little bit," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think the quality of at-bats are pretty consistent but at times we're missing some pitches.
"So as far as our lineup being deeper, there's no doubt it's deeper but hopefully it's going to take that one spark to get these guys to start get some momentum and start to pressure other teams. We've had a tough time doing it this whole week."
The Astros have won eight of nine and will pursue a series sweep on Sunday. Houston is 36 games over .500 for the first time since concluding the 1998 campaign with a 102-60 record.
NOTES: Facing a noon start following a night game, Astros manager A.J. Hinch rested a number of regulars, including OF George Springer, 2B Jose Altuve, C Brian McCann and DH Carlos Beltran. With Springer, OF Josh Reddick (back) and Altuve unavailable, 3B Alex Bregman hit leadoff for just the second time this season. ... When Angels LF Justin Upton opened the seventh inning with a home run to left field, it snapped a string of 23 scoreless innings for Los Angeles. ... With his second double of the game, Astros 2B Marwin Gonzalez pushed the Astros' season total to 326 doubles, which matched the franchise record set in 1998.
Morton worked seven innings for the first time since Aug. 5, while Carlos Correa recorded his first three-hit game since returning from the disabled list and teamed with Evan Gattis to pace the Astros to a 6-2 victory over the fading Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park.
Correa finished 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs, posting his fifth three-hit game and sixth game with three-plus RBIs. Correa got the Astros (95-59) on the board with a run-scoring single in the first inning before adding a two-out RBI double in the fifth and an RBI single in the seventh.
Gattis followed the Correa double in the fifth with a three-run homer for his 12th on the season. The Astros' four-run rally came against right-hander Eduardo Paredes, who relieved Angels starter Bud Norris (2-6) with one out in the fourth inning. Gattis also posted three RBIs.
The top four hitters in the Astros order finished a combined 8-for-14 and scored all six runs.
"We could have won in a lot of different ways today but those guys that are normally at the bottom of our order, step up at the top of our order and produce," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "It was a good day."
Morton (13-7) capitalized on the early lead by producing an efficient outing to complement that run support, allowing one run on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
Morton faced the minimum over his first five innings, inducing a pair of inning-ending double plays to erase singles by Albert Pujols in the second inning and Brandon Phillips in the fifth. Morton had just 42 pitches on his ledger entering the sixth, completing the second and third innings on nine pitches each while tossing five pitches in the fourth inning and eight in the fifth.
"My sinker was moving pretty good today," Morton said. "They were aggressive and stacked righties. I threw some decent changeups, some decent sinkers and fortunately the balls that were put in play found some guys."
Said Angels center fielder Mike Trout of Morton: "He had good stuff today. He was sinking it, cutting it obviously with that curveball. He threw a couple of changeups as well. Just keeping us off-balance and we were just missing pitches."
Angels' left fielder Justin Upton ended the shutout bid with a leadoff home run in the seventh inning, his 33rd on the season. Upton added his 34th homer leading off the ninth against Astros reliever Will Harris for his 16th career multi-homer game.
The Angels (76-78) mustered just five hits total while suffering their season-high-tying sixth consecutive defeat with the second American League wild card on the line.
"Right now there is a number of guys who are not having hits fall in, that are struggling a little bit," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think the quality of at-bats are pretty consistent but at times we're missing some pitches.
"So as far as our lineup being deeper, there's no doubt it's deeper but hopefully it's going to take that one spark to get these guys to start get some momentum and start to pressure other teams. We've had a tough time doing it this whole week."
The Astros have won eight of nine and will pursue a series sweep on Sunday. Houston is 36 games over .500 for the first time since concluding the 1998 campaign with a 102-60 record.
NOTES: Facing a noon start following a night game, Astros manager A.J. Hinch rested a number of regulars, including OF George Springer, 2B Jose Altuve, C Brian McCann and DH Carlos Beltran. With Springer, OF Josh Reddick (back) and Altuve unavailable, 3B Alex Bregman hit leadoff for just the second time this season. ... When Angels LF Justin Upton opened the seventh inning with a home run to left field, it snapped a string of 23 scoreless innings for Los Angeles. ... With his second double of the game, Astros 2B Marwin Gonzalez pushed the Astros' season total to 326 doubles, which matched the franchise record set in 1998.
A's Maxwell becomes first MLB player to kneel for anthem
This now has gone from just a BlackLives Matter topic to just complete inequality of any man or woman that wants to stand for Their rights!— Bruce T Maxwell (@bruu_truu13) September 23, 2017
— Oakland A's 🌳🐘⚾️ (@Athletics) September 24, 2017
Maxwell is an African American who was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, when his father, Bruce, was stationed there with the Army during a tour of duty.Yeah I bet he doesn't step to @Kaepernick7 in person and call him and the other protesters a "son of a bitch." Ignorance from our Pres— Bruce T Maxwell (@bruu_truu13) September 23, 2017
Maxwell posted a strong response on Instagram opposing President Donald Trump's recent criticism of NFL players who kneel during the anthem.
A's outfielder Mark Canha placed a hand on Maxwell's shoulder during the anthem before their game against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum, then hugged him when it ended.
Friday, September 8, 2017
LEADING OFF: Indians, D-backs streaking; Dodgers slumping
A look at what's happening all around the major today:
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SWEET 16?
Mike Clevinger and the Indians try to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 16 games when they begin a series against Baltimore. Clevinger (8-5, 3.50 ERA) has delivered a pair of scoreless outings during Cleveland's streak and has perhaps found his footing after an inconsistent start to his big league career. Orioles lefty Wade Miley (8-11, 4.91) will try to slow a lineup that slugged five homers Thursday night against the White Sox.
STREAKING SNAKES, TOO
The Diamondbacks can stretch their club-record winning streak to 14 games in the opener of a set against the Padres. The run includes six victories over the NL West-leading Dodgers, and Arizona even led for 97 consecutive innings - the second longest span in the majors since 1900 - before the Dodgers scored first on Wednesday night. Patrick Corbin (13-11, 3.83) has a pair of victories during this streak, and he'll seek another against San Diego's Jordan Lyles (0-2, 6.71).
DODGER BLUES
The Dodgers would match their worst skid since May 2013 with another loss to the Rockies. Los Angeles has dropped seven straight, and the latest was perhaps the most disheartening - Colorado smacked around ace Clayton Kershaw en route to a 9-1 win Thursday night. Now it's Yu Darvish's turn to try ending this slump in a matchup against German Marquez at Dodger Stadium.
TO THE MAX
Max Scherzer hasn't lost a start since June 21, and he'll go for another victory when the Nationals host the Phillies. Scherzer (13-5, 2.19) is 5-0 with a 2.37 ERA in his past 11 starts, including five effective innings versus Milwaukee last time out before exiting with a bruised calf after being struck by a line drive.
FEELING FINE?
Chris Archer (9-8, 3.76) is set to return after throwing just eight pitches in his previous outing before exiting with forearm tightness. The Rays right-hander gets a tough draw in the Red Sox and left-hander Drew Pomeranz (14-5, 3.36), who lost last time out against the Yankees to end a 14-start unbeaten stretch.
COME ON IN
The Braves are offering free tickets to fans from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina displaced by Hurricane Irma. During a four-game series against the Marlins which began Thursday night, the Braves will give a complimentary ticket to anyone showing a valid Florida ID. The offer also is open to residents of Georgia and South Carolina counties under mandatory evacuation orders. Braves president of business Derek Schiller says he hopes the offer "can help take their mind off the storm for a few hours."
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Arenado, Rockies clobber slumping Dodgers
(TSX / STATS) -- LOS ANGELES -- It no longer matters what the Los Angeles Dodgers try these days. They continue to be pushovers during a spectacular freefall.
Clayton Kershaw was asked to ride to the rescue Thursday, but he only became the latest Dodger to stumble awkwardly.
Nolan Arenado hit a three-run homer three batters into the game, and the Colorado Rockies rolled to a 9-1 victory in the opener of a four-game series.
The Dodgers still own the best record in baseball at 92-48, but they have dropped 12 of their past 13 games, and there appears to be no end in sight to their slide. Their lead in the National League West over the Arizona Diamondbacks -- 21 games two weeks ago -- is down to 10 games.
"We don't think that we're a bad team," Kershaw said. "We won that many games for a reason. We played that well for that long for a reason. We are a very good team and we know that, but we're not showing it right now, for sure."
Carlos Gonzalez had three hits for the Rockies, while Arenado, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story, Jonathan Lucroy and Charlie Blackmon had two hits apiece. DJ LeMahieu extended his season-best hitting streak to 15 games with a first-inning double.
Jon Gray (7-4) limited Los Angeles to one run on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out three. Mike Dunn, Scott Oberg and Adam Ottavino concluded the rout with a scoreless inning apiece.
Colorado increased its lead for the second NL wild card to three games over the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. And they made it look easy.
"We know how good he is. We know that wasn't one of his better starts, but he's still Clayton Kershaw," Arenado said. "Lucky enough, I was able to get a pitch to hit. He missed his spot, and I was able to take advantage of the missed spot."
Kershaw gave up hits to the first four Rockies batters, including Arenado's three-run shot. It was the first time in his career he surrendered hits to the first four batters, doing so in his second start since coming off the disabled list after recovering from a lower back strain.
The Rockies pushed the lead to 4-0 on a third-inning sacrifice fly from Lucroy.
"It's bad right now; there is no getting around that," Kershaw said. "When you compare it to the first half, or the first however many games we played, it's the stark opposite. If anything, it doesn't make this easier, but thankfully we did win so many games early so we have a little bit of a lead right now."
Kershaw (16-3) staggered to a 28-pitch first inning. He was at 55 pitches after two innings and had reached 86 when he was pulled after 3 2/3 innings. Kershaw showed his frustration when he slammed his glove into the back wall of the dugout.
He finished the night giving up four runs and six hits, striking out seven while walking three. It was only the third time in 23 starts that he had walked at least three batters in a game.
Roberts attributed the early exit to both his left-hander's struggles and the close proximity to Kershaw's DL stint.
"I think if you look at the first couple of innings, there was stress, and to try to get him to (keep going), to what end is there to just keep him out there?" Roberts said. "To start the fourth inning at 71 pitches, I felt good that he could potentially have a quick inning and feel good about that outing. As we got up to 85, 86 (pitches), I didn't want to push him any further."
Kershaw was trying to become the first Dodgers pitcher to open a season 17-2 since the team moved to Los Angeles.
The Rockies had stumbled to a 3-6 record on their just-completed homestand and were looking to get back on track against the struggling Dodgers.
After going more than a week without a home run, Arenado crushed his 31st on the first pitch from Kershaw. It have him 15 home runs on the road, to go along with 16 at home.
"I don't want to get all dramatic here, but you can make the argument that that was our biggest win of the year," Arenado said. "Just a big win, coming to L.A. after a tough loss last night (at home against the San Francisco Giants), getting in late and just winning like that. Jon Gray pitched a great game for us, and it was just a big win."
Top Dodgers pitching prospect Walker Buehler made his major league debut in the eighth inning and hit 100 mph on the stadium radar gun with his second career pitch. He gave up a single to Gonzalez, his first batter, but faced the minimum six batters over two scoreless innings thanks to a double play. He struck out two, including Blackmon looking.
"Obviously, it was a pretty cool experience," Buehler said. "I felt like I threw the ball well, but unfortunately it was in a loss, so it was a little mixed emotion. But it was a special night for me."
Chris Taylor and Bellinger each had two hits for Los Angeles.
NOTES: Rockies C Ryan Hanigan (left groin strain) was activated from the 10-day disabled list, while CF Ramiel Tapia was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez received an epidural shot on his ailing lower back and is expected to be out of action for a few days. ... Dodgers SS Corey Seager is expected to return to the starting lineup Friday after not starting since Aug. 27 because of a sore right elbow.
Padres shut out Cardinals 3-0
(TSX / STATS) -- SAN DIEGO -- Lance Lynn and Clayton Richard have been friendly rivals since the 2003 Indiana state high school championships.
Richard pitched for state champion McCutcheon High of Lafayette. Lynn pitched for runner-up Brownsburg.
"It's always interesting to come across another Indiana native in the major leagues," Richard said Thursday night after he started the Padres to a four-pitcher, 11-hit, 3-0 shutout win over Lynn and the Cardinals at Petco Park.
Richard (7-13) allowed five hits over six innings and departed with a 1-0 lead. He walked one and struck out five. Craig Stammen, Kirby Yates and Brad Hand pitched one inning apiece to close out the win.
Lynn (10-7) allowed one run -- produced on three first-inning infield hits -- over six innings. He gave up six hits and three walks while fanning three.
Padres first baseman Wil Myers hit a two-run homer off Cardinals reliever Seung Hwan Oh in the seventh inning for the final margin.
However, the Cardinals went down swinging. They had six singles against the Padres' bullpen in the last three innings but couldn't score. St. Louis produced 12 baserunners in the game. Two were erased by double plays turned behind Richard. The other 10 were stranded, five while in scoring position.
Hand picked up his 16th save by striking out Dexter Fowler with the bases loaded to end the game. Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk hit back-to-back singles with one out in the ninth. After Hand struck out pinch hitter Luke Voit, pinch hitter Carson Kelly singled sharply to left to load the bases.
"I think every one of our guys thought we were going to pull it off right there," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.
Then Hand whiffed Fowler.
While the Padres pitchers worked out of numerous jams -- the Cardinals were retired in order only once -- Lynn was the victim of some terrible luck in the first ... as well as a lack of support for a second straight start.
Through six innings, the only difference between the Hoosier starters was the first-inning run San Diego scored without getting the ball out of the infield.
Manuel Margot opened the game with a topper between the mound and third that Cardinals third baseman Alex Mejia couldn't cleanly field. Margot stole second and moved to third on Carlos Asuaje's sacrifice bunt.
Jose Pirela then topped another roller toward Mejia. Margot raced home as Pirela reached first with a single and advanced to second on Mejia's throwing error. After Yangervis Solarte flied out, Myers reached on the inning's third infield single. Cory Spangenberg walked to load the bases before Lynn got the final out on a comebacker.
"The first was a little deceiving with the trouble he was in," Matheny said of Lynn. "But once again, not a lot of hard-hit balls, not a lot of mistakes. I thought he threw the ball well."
Lynn said, "Giving up three hits with none of them reaching the infield dirt, that's just baseball sometimes. I gave up one (run), and I'd like to have that one back."
Over his past two starts, Lynn has allowed one run over 14 innings, but the Cardinals have failed to score in the two games while he was pitching.
The Cardinals threatened to tie the game in the top of the seventh. After Stammen struck out the first two batters he faced, Greg Garcia and Breyvic Valera hit back-to-back singles. It was the first major league hit for Valera, who made his major league debut Tuesday night at Petco Park.
Stammen then retired pinch hitter Tommy Pham on a liner to center.
Asuaje opened the bottom of the seventh with a single off Cardinals reliever Zach Duke, who faced only one batter. Oh retired the next two hitters before Myers connected on a 2-1 fastball, driving it 408 feet into the left field stands for his first homer since Aug. 12.
Richard had a total of 11 ground-ball outs. Only one out was recorded by an outfielder during his stint.
"Clayton held it together," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He stayed with the game plan."
"He's just funky," Matheny said of Richard, a former fastballer turned sinkerball specialist after two rounds of shoulder surgery. "Guys had trouble picking him up. He had good movement. He had that cutter working the inside part of the plate really well. That tied our guys up pretty good."
The Cardinals won the first three games of the series and finished a 10-game trip with a 7-3 record. The Padres finished an 11-game homestand at 6-5.
NOTES: Manager Andy Green said the Padres plan to stick with a six-man rotation although they have two days off next week bookending a two-game series in Minnesota. "Some guys will get an extra day's rest and some will get two extra days," Green said. ... Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said INF Matt Carpenter could return to the lineup Friday in St. Louis to face the Pittsburgh Pirates. Carpenter missed the final three games of the Padres series with a sore right shoulder. ... 2B Kolton Wong (back) won't start Friday but is expected to be back in the lineup over the weekend. ... Even when Wong returns, Matheny said the Cardinals would continue to utilize the glove of rookie Alex Mejia late in games for infield defense.
Braves pull out walk-off win over Marlins
(TSX / STATS) -- ATLANTA -- Late-inning rallies no longer surprise Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, so it was hardly a shock when his team scored two runs in the ninth inning and produced its 17th win in the final at-bat.
"These guys battle, they fight, they grind," Snitker said after the Braves beat the Miami Marlins 6-5 on Thursday. "Things haven't gone the way we want them consistently lately, but a lot of good things are happening. I've seen it many times out of this group of guys."
Kurt Suzuki's two-out single in the ninth off closer Brad Ziegler (1-4) capped Atlanta's two-run rally at SunTrust Park. It was the Braves' seventh walk-off win of the season.
"What an at-bat (for Suzuki), and that's a tough pitcher to do that against," Atlanta right fielder Jace Peterson said.
The Braves began the comeback when pinch hitter Matt Adams doubled. Pinch runner Nick Markakis scored the tying run when Ozzie Albies slapped a one-out double to right field.
After Ziegler intentionally walked Freddie Freeman and retired Lane Adams on a fielder's choice, Suzuki singled just inside the third base bag to score Freeman.
"It's just good to see guys keep fighting, keep battling," Snitker said.
The loss was the fifth straight for the Marlins, who have dropped 10 of 11.
"We haven't been playing that great the last few days, and to have a chance and not get the win makes it that much tougher," Ziegler said. "We battled back after we were down pretty late in the game. The offense gave us a chance to win, and it's frustrating to not be able to come through."
The winning pitcher was Rex Brothers (3-3), who struck out the side in the top of the ninth inning.
The Marlins rallied against reliever Jose Ramirez in the eighth to take a 5-4 lead. Brian Anderson led off by reaching on an error, a ground ball that rolled through the legs of rookie second baseman Albies. Anderson scored when Ichiro Suzuki lobbed a two-out, pinch-hit single softly into left field.
It was the 26th pinch hit of the season for Suzuki, two short of the major league record set by John Vander Wal of the Colorado Rockies in 1995.
"That's the one chance that I get," Suzuki said. "The approach hasn't changed. I do the same things I have been doing."
The Marlins tied the game with a run in the seventh off reliever Sam Freeman, who allowed his first run since July 31, a span of 16 games. Freeman walked Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna greeted Ramirez with an RBI single.
Ozuna led the Marlins with two hits and two RBIs, and Anderson had two hits and a walk.
Atlanta got two hits each from Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson, Peterson and Suzuki.
Miami starter Dan Straily allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out three.
Atlanta's Sean Newcomb pitched five innings and allowed three runs and seven hits and three walks. He struck out five.
The Marlins put three runs on the board in the first inning. Dee Gordon led off with a triple and scored on Yelich's single. Ozuna followed with a run-scoring triple and scored on Anderson's two-out single.
Atlanta cut the lead to 3-2 in the second inning when Rio Ruiz and Swanson singled, and both came around to score on Peterson's opposite-field single to left.
The Braves took the lead by scoring twice in the fifth inning to go ahead 4-3. Inciarte tripled and scored on Albies' sacrifice fly. Matt Kemp gave the Braves the lead with a solo homer -- his 18th of the season.
The loss further damaged the chances for Miami (67-73) to make a push for the wild card. With Washington's 4-3 win in Philadelphia on Thursday, Atlanta (62-77) was officially eliminated in the NL East.
"It's definitely not for lack of effort, that's for sure," Straily said. "I've been watching this team play every single night. It's not going our way now, and we've got to find a way to turn it around quick."
NOTES: Miami 2B Dee Gordon led off the game with a triple to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. It ended Miami's streak of 22 innings without an extra-base hit. ... Miami started Brian Anderson at third base, giving Derek Dietrich the night off. Anderson singled in his first at-bat and recorded his first major league RBI. ... Atlanta RF Nick Markakis was not in the starting lineup, replaced by Jace Peterson. ... Atlanta 3B Rio Ruiz had hit safely in all six games he has played since being added to the roster on Sept. 1. ... Miami 1B Justin Bour, on the disabled list since July 25 with a right oblique strain, could be activated as soon as Friday.
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