Austin Barnes tied the score on a safety-squeeze bunt, then Mookie Betts drilled a go-ahead two-run single — both in the eighth inning — as the host Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Miami Marlins 3-1 in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
The Dodgers have won 12 of their past 13 games. Miami snapped Los Angeles’ 11-game win streak on Friday.
Marlins rookie Eury Perez was brilliant in a no-decision as he struck out a career-high 10 and walked none in six scoreless innings.
Perez showed why he was one of baseball’s best prospects entering this season, allowing just two hits and striking out seven different Dodgers.
Ryan Yarbrough (6-5) earned the win in relief, pitching two scoreless innings. Evan Phillips pitched a scoreless ninth for his 19th save in 21 tries this year.
The Dodgers used an opener as Caleb Ferguson pitched a scoreless first inning. He was followed by Ryan Pepiot, who allowed three hits, one walk and one run in five innings.
It was the season debut for Pepiot, who turns 26 on Monday. He had seemingly won a roster spot out of spring training before getting sidelined by an oblique injury.
Miami nearly scored on Pepiot in the third as Jorge Soler walked with one out and reached third on Luis Arraez’s single to right-center. But on Josh Bell’s flyout, David Peralta threw from right field to the plate to nab Soler. Barnes made the short-hop grab before tagging Soler for the inning-ending double play.
The Marlins got on the board in the fourth as Jake Burger singled with one out and scored from first on Bryan De La Cruz’s double down the left-field line.
Miami went to its bullpen in the seventh as Andrew Nardi tossed a 1-2-3 inning.
But in the eighth, the Dodgers rallied against closer David Robertson. After Chris Taylor flied out to the warning track, James Outman drew a full-count walk and raced to third on Enrique Hernandez’s single.
Barnes then got the bunt down on his second try, scoring Outman and Barnes hustling to second on an error by Bell. Betts followed with the biggest hit of the game, getting a first-pitch cutter and stroking a two-run single to left for a 3-1 lead.
–Field Level Media
