MIAMI — Welcome back, Brian Anderson.
The Miami Marlins’ third baseman wasted little time making an impact in his return to the lineup on Tuesday.
Anderson, in his first at-bat after missing 11 games with a left oblique strain, sent a sinker from Riley Smith a projected 371 feet and beyond the right-field wall at loanDepot park for a three-run home run in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The home run, however, was the Marlins’ only sign of offensive life until an eighth-inning rally gave Miami the lead for good in a 9-3 win to start a three-game series. The Marlins are now 12-16. Arizona falls to 15-14.
Jesus Aguilar’s RBI single to right center scored Miguel Rojas, who led off the inning with a double after a nine-pitch at-bat. Aguilar then went from first to home on a Corey Dickerson groundball single that bounced off Arizona first baseman Christian Walker’s glove and started a slew of Diamondback defensive miscues. Lewis Brinson’s three-run home run to center field — his first home run of the season — and Rojas’ RBI single in his second at-bat of the inning capped the six-run rally.
Anderson’s return serves as the first round of reinforcements to a lineup that has had half of its starting position players on the injured list. Outfielder Starling Marte has been out since April 20 with a left rib fracture. Catcher Jorge Alfaro and middle infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. are both on the IL with left hamstring strains.
Defensively, Anderson helped turn an inning-ending double play in the fourth. He was also on the receiving end of a Lewis Brinson outfield assist in the fifth to tag out Asdrubal Cabrera, who tried to turn a hard-hit single to center field into double.
Utilityman Jon Berti had started 11 consecutive games at third base in Anderson’s absence.
The Marlins optioned outfielder Monte Harrison to Triple A Jacksonville as a corresponding move. Harrison, who was called up on Friday, went 1 for 5 in three games before being sent down. Miami still has five outfielders on its active roster in Dickerson, Brinson, Adam Duvall, Magneuris Sierra and Garrett Cooper.
BLEIER’S BIG INNING
Richard Bleier earned the win after pitching arguably his biggest inning of the season.
He entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the eighth after Anthony Bass gave up three hits, a walk and the game-tying run without recording an out.
Bleier responded by recording three consecutive strikeouts.
STRONG SHOWING FOR ALCANTARA
Anderson’s home run and the eighth-inning rally backed up a quality start for pitcher Sandy Alcantara, who held the Diamondbacks to two runs (one earned) over six innings. Alcantara struck out six batters and walked one while scattering six hits en route to dropping his ERA to 2.95 after seven starts.
Alcantara relied mainly on his secondary pitches Tuesday. Of the 95 pitches he threw against the Diamondbacks, just 35 were fastballs. He used 35 changeups and 23 sliders, with the two pitches accounting for all six of Alcantara’s strikeouts.
