MIAMI _ For one day, for one game, the Miami Marlins got the better of the National League's top team.
The Marlins scored 11 runs in a two-inning flurry and held off a pair of rally attempts to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 13-7 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep and close out a seven-game homestand. Miami (45-75) had lost its other five games against the Dodgers (81-42) this year by a combined 45-9 score, including a 15-1 loss on Tuesday and 9-1 loss on Wednesday.
And it took a collective effort for the Marlins to take down the Dodgers.
Brian Anderson, Starlin Castro, Jorge Alfaro and Lewis Brinson all drove in three runs in the win. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the first time that the Marlins had at least four players with at least three RBI in a game since July 5, 2006, against the Washington Nationals.
Anderson finished with three hits, including a pair of doubles. Alfaro had his first three-hit game since July 6. Jon Berti scored all three times he reached base.
Each of the Marlins' first eight hitters reached base in a six-run fifth to turn a 2-1 lead into an 8-1 advantage. Two-run doubles by Anderson and Brinson bookended the scoring. RBI singles from Castro and Alfaro rounded out scoring in the frame.
The Dodgers responded with two home runs against Jose Quijada in the top of the sixth _ a two-run homer from Max Muncy and solo shot from Corey Seager _ to cut Miami's lead to 8-4 before the Marlins tacked on five more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Cody Bellinger, a frontrunner to be the NL's Most Valuable Player, belted out his 40th home run of the year in the seventh against Austing Brice to push the Dodgers back within six runs. Jarlin Garcia and Adam Conley threw 2 1/3 shutout innings after that to seal the win.
Caleb Smith had a no-hitter through four innings before giving up a leadoff home run to Kyle Garlick in the fifth. Smith exited the game following that inning after throwing 106 pitches (59 strikes) but earned his team-leading eighth win of the year.
The Dodgers hit 14 home runs over the three-game series.
