MIAMI _ The games rested on the bullpen's arms and an offensive rally. Miami Marlins starting pitcher Elieser Hernandez left Tuesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays three pitches into the third inning with a sore right lat muscle, leaving Miami's corps of relievers responsible for the bulk of the pitching duties.
The group, headlined by four strong innings from Josh A. Smith, held its own over its extended outing, giving up one run over seven innings, and gave the offense enough time erase a pair of one-run deficits before newly acquired outfielder Starling Marte blasted a go-ahead home run to left-center field to lift the Marlins to a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays at Marlins Park.
Hernandez, one of two Marlins starting pitchers to make every scheduled start this year, is listed as day-to-day.
The bullpen, erratic for most of the year, did everything in its power to keep the Marlins (16-15) in the game.
It started with Smith, who entered for Hernandez and proceeded to hold the Blue Jays (18-16) to one run over four innings. He held Toronto to three hits and a pair of walks while striking out three.
Richard Bleier then tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings before James Hoyt got the Marlins through the eighth.
Brandon Kintzler closed it out in the ninth, earning his eighth save in as many opportunities. He is the only reliever in the National League to have at least five save opportunities and convert them all.
Miami fell behind in the first on a Jonathan Villar RBI groundout and again on a Derek Fisher sacrifice fly in the fourth but rallied to get back in the game.
Jon Berti, expected to get a good share of reps at second base after the Marlins traded Villar to Toronto on Monday, gave the Marlins their first run on a solo home run to right-center field in the third. Garrett Cooper tied the game a second time in the sixth with an RBI double that scored Marte, who reached base on a Villar fielding error.
Marte then gave Miami its first lead of the game in the eighth with his 438 foot home run that cleared the wall in left-center field.
