MIAMI _ What would normally look like a routine win was anything but for the Miami Marlins on Sunday.
With a 3-1 triumph over the Atlanta Braves at Marlins Park, the Marlins avoided the weekend sweep, snapped a five-game losing streak and picked up just their fourth win in the past three weeks.
Tyler Moore, pinch-hitting in the pitcher's spot in the bottom of the seventh, launched a two-out three-run home run to left-center field to account for all of Miami's runs. It was Moore's first homer since Sept. 20, 2015, and his first hit in three tries since rejoining the Marlins this week.
Closer A.J. Ramos nailed down the save in his first opportunity to do so since April 22.
The key, now, is for the Marlins to do it again the next day _ something they haven't for the better part of a month. They last one back-to-back games on April 22-23.
Since then, they have followed wins with four straight losses, two straight, three straight and five straight as they sunk to last in the NL East standings. The climb upward continues Monday against the Houston Astros, the final series of the Marlins' nine-game homestand.
Right-handed Atlanta knuckleballer R.A. Dickey proved tricky for the Marlins _ until the seventh, when Giancarlo Stanton's double to right-center and A.J. Ellis' walk set up Moore's dinger. Dickey scattered five hits and three walks while striking out one.
Lefty Justin Nicolino was effective in his 2017 major league debut for Miami. He allowed one run on six hits in six innings, striking out five and walking four. Nicolino pitched only one perfect inning (the second), but threw no more than 19 pitches in any single frame and finished his day with 79 pitches total.
With left-hander Wei-Yin Chen out indefinitely with elbow issues, Nicolino was in effect auditioning for an extended look in the big league rotation. He impressed in spring training, but started the year with Triple-A New Orleans.
