CLEVELAND _ Pablo Lopez's bid for a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians ended in the bottom of the sixth inning on Tuesday when Jose Ramirez floated a one-out single to shallow right field.
Lopez's best start of the season, however, continued on a little bit longer.
The 25-year-old right-hander threw a season-long 6 1/3 innings while giving up just two hits and an unearned run to lift the Marlins to a 3-1 win over the Indians at Progressive Field to begin a two-game series. The Marlins (7-16) will go for the sweep on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.
Before that sixth-inning hit, which was erased by a double play one batter later, Lopez had retired 16 of the 20 batters he faced. The lone blemishes to that point were a Jason Kipnis walk, a Miguel Rojas error that allowed Francisco Lindor to reach first, a Carlos Santana walk and a Roberto Perez hit-by-pitch.
Lopez's night ended three batters into the seventh. He gave up a leadoff single to Carlos Gonzalez and watched Jason Kipnis reach on a fielding error before striking out Perez to end his time on the mound. Gonzalez eventually scored on a Tyler Naquin single to give the Indians (12-10) their lone run of the game.
Lopez struck out six in the win, one shy of his season and career high. He threw 86 pitches, including 13 swinging strikes.
Adam Conley, Drew Steckenrider and Sergio Romo threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Romo earned his third save of the year.
The Marlins got all the run support they needed in the fifth inning by putting up three runs against Indians relief pitcher Neil Ramirez. Catcher Jorge Alfaro started off with a leadoff home run to right field _ his fourth homer of the season, all to opposite field. A one-out single by Isaac Galloway and a walk by Jon Berti set up Curtis Granderson's RBI double to right field. A Martin Prado sacrifice fly scored Berti from third.
The Marlins' nine hits on Tuesday were a season-high for a road game.
Brian Anderson's two-out single in the fourth inning not only broke up Carrasco's perfect game. It also extended Anderson's streak of safely reaching base to 11 consecutive games _ every game since he received an off day on April 10 against the Cincinnati Reds.
In that stretch, Anderson is hitting .341 (14 for 41) with three doubles, two home runs and nine walks.
