MIAMI — Mark Buehrle pitched into the eighth inning and the Miami Marlins moved within a victory of tying the team record for the most in a month with a 5-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.
Giancarlo Stanton hit two doubles and scored twice while Logan Morrison drove in two runs for the Marlins. Miami is a major league best 18-7 in May. The Marlins went 19-10 in August 1997.
Buehrle (5-4) allowed two runs and eight hits while throwing 69 of 100 pitches for strikes. He was replaced by Steve Cishek after Ryan Theriot tripled to center past a diving Chris Coghlan with one out in the eighth. Cishek retired Melky Cabrera on a ground out, which scored Theriot. Buster Posey grounded out to end the inning.
Heath Bell, who was pulled in the ninth during Friday’s game in favor of Cishek as Bell allowed two runs and retired just one batter, continued his struggles. Bell allowed a single to Angel Pagan to open the ninth and after recording an out, he walked the two next two batters ending his night early again.
Randy Choate relieved Bell and got Nate Schierholtz to fly out scoring Pagan cutting the deficit to 5-3. He struck out Gregor Blanco to end the game. It was Choate’s first save since September 23, 2009 when he was with Tampa Bay.
Madison Bumgarner (5-4) took the loss allowing five runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
Blanco had three of San Francisco’s nine hits.
With one out in the third inning and the scored tied at 1, Jose Reyes and Omar Infante each reached with base hits and successfully pulled off a double steal with Hanley Ramirez batting. Ramirez followed with a single to left scoring Reyes. After Stanton walked, Morrison grounded into what appeared to be an inning-ending double play, but Emmanuel Burriss’ throw bounced passed first baseman Brett Pill allowing Infante and Ramirez to score giving the Marlins a 4-1 lead.
Stanton doubled to leadoff the second and scored on a single by Donovan Solano for the Marlins first run of the game. He doubled again to leadoff the sixth and scored on a Morrison double to deep center field.
The Giants tied the game at 1 with a base hit by Blanco as Burriss slide into home safely, narrowly beating Stanton’s throw from right.
NOTES: Giants LF Melky Cabrera came into the game hitting .692 (9 of 13) against Buehrle, but went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. … Giants ace Tim Lincecum fell to 2-5 with a 6.41 ERA following Friday’s loss. “He’s taking it hard, believe me,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Lincecum’s struggles. “We want to send a message that we know that he’s giving it everything he’s got.” … Stanton is hitting .333 (32 of 96) in May. … The Marlins will send RHP Ricky Nolasco (5-2, 4.31 ERA) to the mound Sunday in the series finale as the Giants will counter with RHP Matt Cain (4-2, 2.94 ERA).
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