ATLANTA _ Yefri Perez, the Marlins' rookie pinch-runner with three big league stolen bases and zero big league at-bats, broke from third base as soon as the pitch trickled away from Braves catcher Tyler Flowers, cracking open a door that Perez didn't so much kick down as he did slide right through.
Perez cut onto the infield grass halfway to home, then dove head-first from fair territory as Flowers did the same from foul ground. Perez's right hand touched the plate before Flowers' glove touched Perez. The runner broke into a smile before home-plate umpire Ramon De Jesus even had a chance to signal safe.
It was perhaps the most electrifying moment on a Tuesday night that largely lacked them, but a night that nonetheless resulted in a 7-5 Miami win over Atlanta at Turner Field.
The game was in many ways similar to Monday night's, when the Marlins had double-digit hits (mostly singles), a shorter-than-preferred outing from a starting pitcher and a whole bunch of relievers fill up the box score. This time, though, Miami came out on top, Perez's speed providing a critical insurance run in the eighth inning and five different Marlins picking up RBI.
The Marlins scored three runs in the third inning and three runs in the fifth inning.
Esch started the first rally with his first career hit, an infield bouncer that Braves hurler Matt Wisler failed to cleanly barehand. After Dee Gordon followed with a single, Ichiro Suzuki's grounder to right field scored. Christian Yelich drove in a pair with a double to right-center.
Ichiro started Miami's other rally with a leadoff triple into the right-field corner. Marcell Ozuna (single), Justin Bour (single) and J.T. Realmuto (ground out) all drove in runs.
Right-hander Jake Esch, in his third in the big leagues, had a short leash, pulled by manager Don Mattingly after 3 2/3 innings and 67 pitches. Esch was struggling, throwing 26 pitches while recording two outs and loading the bases in the fourth, and Mattingly opted for his loaded September bullpen instead of gamble with Esch.
The Braves jumped out early, when Freddie Freeman took an Esch fastball over the plate and put it in the left-center-field seats for a two-run homer in the first inning. Matt Kemp sent a solo shot to the same part of the park in the fourth.
For Esch, who has allowed eight runs in 13 innings (5.54 ERA), it was another small taste of competing against the best hitters in the world. That, Mattingly said, is valuable beyond these final weeks of 2016.
"This is really good for him moving forward," Mattingly said before the game. "Usually when you get a chance to get to the big leagues _ even if it doesn't go that good _ you can kind of size up the experience, go into your offseason work with a mindset of 'I belong there.'
"You walk into your workouts in the winter with an eye toward spring training, walking in there looking for a job and fighting for a job, not just going to spring training for the first time and not knowing what everything's about."
