ATLANTA — Eddy Alvarez took a moment to admire his work. In the second inning of the Miami Marlins’ 6-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night, Alvarez launched a 2-1 fastball that Charlie Morton threw over the heart of the plate to right field. He raised his bat in the air as he watched the ball soar and right fielder Jorge Soler stop running, knowing no play could be made, before beginning his trot around the bases.
Alvarez’s first career home run was the latest individual milestone for him this year, a little over a month after he became just the sixth athlete ever to win Olympic medals at both the Summer and Winter Games.
And it was the start of a home run fest for the Marlins (60-82) at Truist Park. Outfielders Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez, two of Alvarez’s fellow rookies in the starting lineup, hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning to give Miami the lead for good. De La Cruz’s home run was his fourth of the season. Sanchez hit his ninth and has two homers this series.
Alvarez added another insurance run in the ninth when he reached on a fielder’s choice, moved to third on an Isan Diaz single, and scored — diving head first — on a Miguel Rojas bunt, beating the tag by Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud. The Marlins scored two runs in the top of the first on a De La Cruz RBI single and Lewis Brinson sacrifice fly.
De La Cruz recorded three hits, his fifth three-hit effort in 38 games since making his MLB debut.
The eighth-inning home runs from De La Cruz and Sanchez came after the Braves (75-66) rallied in the fifth against Elieser Hernandez to tie the game.
Like Trevor Rogers on Friday, Hernandez cruised through the first four innings. He held the Braves to three hits and a walk, including a 0-for-5 mark with runners in scoring position.
But trouble brewed in the fifth. Charlie Morton, the Braves’ starting pitcher, hit a one-out double to start Atlanta’s rally and turn over the lineup. After an Ozzie Albies flyout moved Morton to third, Hernandez gave up three consecutive RBI hits — a Soler double to right field, Freddie Freeman single through the right side (with Freeman reaching second on a throw home) and Austin Riley single to left — to tie the game.
Hernandez has a career .364 batting average against (28 for 77) the third time through a batting order.
Zach Pop, Anthony Bass, Anthony Bender kept the game scoreless through the eighth. Dylan Floro held Atlanta to one run in the ninth to pick up his 10th save of the season.
