ATLANTA _ The inevitable end of A.J. Ramos' Marlins record-tying saves streak Friday couldn't have been more ill-timed, coming on the day he received a vote of confidence to remain the closer despite the arrival of veteran Fernando Rodney.
It took two pitches for Ramos to serve a tying home run to the Braves' Tyler Flowers in the ninth inning after Rodney pitched a scoreless eighth in his Marlins debut. Ramos had tied Steve Cishek's club mark by converting 33 consecutive chances.
The misstep does not alter the blueprint for the back end of the bullpen that has Rodney, with 253 career saves, in the eighth-inning set-up, at least for now.
"You knew eventually something like that would happen," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "He battled back after that. A.J. is always that guy that you know is not going to panic. You could really tell it didn't really rattle him. He stayed under control and ended up getting us out of that jam."
After the homer, the Braves got a runner to third with one out, but Ramos kept him there to send the game to extra innings. That led to a dramatic ending with pitcher Jose Fernandez delivering a pinch-hit two-run double in the 12th inning for a 7-5 victory.
Ramos said neither the presence of Rodney nor the end of his saves streak will alter his outlook.
"You've got to continue to do the job," Ramos said. "It never matters what you've done. It's about what you're going to do and what you continue to do. That's what I'm focusing on. Aside of this one, that's what I'm focused on, to continue to do the job."
