MILWAUKEE _ For most of the second half of the season, runs have been hard to come by for the Milwaukee Brewers.
But, for the second time in three games, in a series that wasn't scheduled to take place at home, the Brewers scored eight runs in one inning Sunday afternoon. This from a team that wasn't averaging four runs a game since the All-Star break.
That "snowman" in the fourth inning allowed the Brewers to pull away to a 10-3 victory over the Miami Marlins at Miller Park, taking two of three games in the series relocated after Hurricane Irma devastated Florida. A crowd of 24,535 pushed the three-game attendance to 68,983.
The Brewers are still four games behind the Cubs in the NL Central after they defeated the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.
After using eight relievers in a "bullpen game" in the series opener, followed by a four-inning start by Zach Davies, the Brewers were in need of a strong outing from Brandon Woodruff, and the big rookie delivered. Woodruff went seven innings, allowing eight hits and three runs, in his sixth big-league start.
The Marlins paid dearly in the fourth inning for committing the baseball sin of walking the pitcher with two outs. The Brewers had just one run in when lefty Dillon Peters issued a free pass to Woodruff, and seven more would come across before Miami recorded three outs.
Travis Shaw (two singles), Jesus Aguilar (double, RBI single) and Manny Pina (two RBI singles) each collected two hits as the Brewers sent 13 hitters to the plate. Unlike Friday night, when they did all of that damage on three home runs in the eighth inning, they put together six singles, two doubles and the walk to Woodruff.
The big blow of the inning was a three-run double by Domingo Santana, who has lived up to his first name by coming up big on Sundays this season. The Marlins also failed to field a pop fly in shallow right-center by Shaw that dropped between three defenders for a run-scoring single.
All eight runs were charged to Peters, who was making his fourth big-league start.
Miami responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning against Woodruff, who allowed a double, single, single and double (two RBIs for Ichiro Suzuki) consecutively with one down.
Further damage was averted with a fantastic defensive play to end the inning. Pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton hit a wicked grounder that caromed off the glove of Shaw at third to shortstop Orlando Arcia, who made a strong one-hop throw to first to get him.
Shaw, who hit his 30th homer Saturday night, drove in three runs to boost his RBI total to 95.
