ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ It was a story Don Mattingly was getting tired of talking about, even though he knew it was an important one. The Miami Marlins' ongoing woes against left-handed pitching were one of the biggest reasons they're just barely clinging to a playoff spot in the National League. They seemed to be running into a star lefty just about every week, whether it was Blake Snell, Hyun-Jin Ryu or Max Fried.
Snell was the challenge Miami faced Saturday, just six days after he shut down the Marlins in Miami, and for the first three innings it was more of the same. He struck out seven and allowed only one hit, and then, suddenly, the Marlins solved him. A four-run fourth inning propelled Miami to a 7-3 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Marlins, who entered Saturday with MLB's seventh-worst scoring offense against left-handed pitchers, sent eight batters to the plate in the fourth inning, collected four hits and a walk, and scored four runs against Snell. They chased the starting pitcher from the game an inning later after Jesus Aguilar scored on an error and Miami (17-17) climbed back to .500 a day after slipping beneath the threshold for just the second time all season.
The win in St. Petersburg keeps the Marlins in one of the NL's eight playoff positions, guaranteed to at least stay in seventh by the end of the night. Miami also remains within at least 4 { games of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.
Aguilar spent the home stretch of the 2019 season playing at Tropicana Field. A midseason acquisition by the Rays, he learned firsthand just how dominant Tampa Bay's pitching staff can be, ranging from Snell, winner of the 2018 American League Cy Young Award, all the way through its bullpen loaded with relief pitchers pumping 97- and 98-mph fastballs.
On Friday, Aguilar belted a solo home run in the Marlins' one-run loss. On Saturday, he collected another hit and also walked twice, including once to lead off the fourth inning. The first baseman then rumbled into third base when slugging third baseman Brian Anderson cranked a double into center field. Miami was finally getting Snell.
A mistake by the Rays (27-13) let the Marlins finally break through. Outfielder Lewis Brinson struck out for the first out of the inning, but Tampa Bay catcher Michael Perez couldn't grasp the high fastball and it sailed to the backstop. Aguilar charged home to put Miami ahead 1-0 and Anderson dashed to third.
On the very next pitch, outfielder Harold Ramirez, who made his return from COVID-19 on Saturday and later left with a strained left hamstring, punched a change-up into center field for a single and the Marlins stretched their lead to 2-0. Two pitches later, outfielder Corey Dickerson smashed a two-run home run to center _ his second in as many days against his former team _ and Miami was headed back into the win column behind Sandy Alcantara.
Six days after he returned from his month-long COVID absence, Alcantara (2-1) recaptured his old form. On Sunday, the Rays pummeled the starting pitcher for eight runs in four innings in his first start since July. On Saturday, he outdueled Snell (3-1) in his second crack at Tampa Bay.
The right-handed pitcher opened the game by striking out utility infielder Joey Wendle on an 85-mph slider. He touched 99 mph in the second inning and threw 12 pitches at 98 mph, including his final pitch of the day in the sixth inning. He threw a season-high 101 pitches in six innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks with eight strikeouts.
