Barry Bonds ejected as Marlins lose to Giants 1-0

MIAMI (AP) — Barry Bonds missed the final three innings of Wednesday’s game thanks to his first ejection as a hitting coach.

He didn’t miss any runs, though. Bonds’ Miami Marlins mustered only five hits and lost to the San Francisco Giants 1-0.

Frustration by Miami peaked in the sixth inning, when Bonds was ejected for arguing after pinch hitter Chris Johnson was called out on strikes with two on to end the threat.

“He didn’t think it was a strike,” Johnson said. “And I didn’t think it was a strike.”

Bonds was in the dugout when plate umpire Cory Blaser gave him the thumb. Bonds then came onto the field to briefly argue further before being pulled away by manager Don Mattingly.

Johnson also argued.

“Obviously Chris thinks it’s outside,” Mattingly said. “You can’t tell in or out from the dugout; you’re going off the players.”

Bonds knows his strike zone — he’s the career major league leader in walks (2,558), as well as home runs. And replays showed he and Johnson had a legitimate complaint.

“That’s baseball,” Johnson said. “Human error is part of the game.”

The first ejection was the first for Bonds since he returned to the majors this year with Miami.

The Marlins didn’t hit much with or without their hitting coach. Jeff Samardzija (10-8) pitched 5 2/3 innings to best his former Notre Dame teammate, David Phelps. Samardzija had lost his past three starts.

Four relievers completed a five-hitter. Santiago Casilla pitched around a two-out double in the ninth by Ichiro Suzuki, striking out J.T. Realmuto to earn his 26th save.

Suzuki singled and doubled to increase his career hit total to 3,002. Teammate Marcell Ozuna singled to end an 0-for-18 slump. But Miami bunched two hits in an inning only once — in the second — and Derek Dietrich was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.

“We couldn’t mount anything,” Mattingly said.

San Francisco won with six hits, and took a series for the first time since the All-Star break.

Two days after Brandon Crawford battered the Marlins with an NL record-tying seven hits, he beat them with one swing. Crawford homered leading off the fourth against Phelps (5-6).

“Whoever said solo home runs don’t beat you is a liar,” Phelps said. “I was telling myself not to walk him. That’s what happens when you do that. I threw a pitch in the middle of the plate and he timed it up.”

Phelps, making his second start of the season after moving from the bullpen into the rotation, pitched five innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton, nursing a sore right hip, pinch-hit with two on in the fifth and flied out to end the inning. Mattingly said he hopes Stanton will be able to return to the starting lineup for the Marlins’ next game Friday.

UP NEXT

RHP Andrew Cashner (4-8, 4.96) is scheduled to start for the Marlins when they begin a three-game series Friday against the Chicago White Sox. It will be the first game for the White Sox in Miami since 2004.

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