By BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) — Mat Latos allowed four hits through seven innings in his third straight strong start and the Miami Marlins snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.
Michael Morse homered off Jeremy Hellickson (6-6) in the Diamondbacks' seventh loss in their last eight games. Adeiny Hechavarria and Christian Yelich each had an RBI single.
Latos (4-6) struck out seven, matching his season high for the second straight game, and walked one. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has allowed a combined three runs over his last three starts — a span of 20 innings. In his previous outing, he gave up one run and one hit in seven innings but took the loss against the Cubs in Chicago.
A.J. Pollock singled twice for the Diamondbacks. The other hits off Latos were a single by Paul Goldschmidt and an infield single by Yasmany Tomas.
Hellickson allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, striking out six with no walks.
Carter Capps, hitting 100 mph on the Chase Field radar gun with his odd hop-off-the-pitching rubber delivery, threw a perfect eighth. A.J. Ramos completed the shutout for his 15th save after blowing one Sunday in Philadelphia.
Hellickson gave up a one-out single to Martin Prado in the first, then retired the next 13 hitters before J.T. Realmuto's two-out double down the left field line in the fifth. Realmuto stole third and scored when Hechavarria singled up the middle.
Morse, entering the game with just a .208 average, led off the seventh with his fourth home run of the season, an opposite-field shot to right. The left-handed batting Yelich singled in the third run off left-hander Andrew Chafin in the eighth.
Arizona had just two threats against Latos.
In the fourth. Goldschmidt drew a leadoff walk and Tomas singled off the glove of Latos. Jake Lamb grounded out on a swinging bunt to advance the runners to second and third but Welington Castillo grounded out to end the inning.
Pollock singled with two outs in the fifth, took second on a wild pitch and stole his 20th base of the season, taking third without a throw. He was stranded when Chris Owings lined out to deep right.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Marlins: RHP Henderson Alvarez (right shoulder inflammation) is scheduled to make his next rehab appearance at Double-A Jacksonville on Saturday or Sunday, Marlins manager Dan Jennings said. Alvarez threw 55 pitches at Class-A Jupiter on Monday, his fastball sitting at 90-92 mph and topping out at 94 mph. … 2B Dee Gordon hit off a tee Tuesday and "looked good, looked comfortable," Jennings said after watching the video. Gordon, second in the NL in batting average (.338) and stolen bases (33), has been on the DL retroactive to July 12 with a dislocated left thumb. He is eligible to return July 28.
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP Jose Fernandez (2-0, 2.37 ERA) gets his third start of the season in the rubber match of the three-game series.
Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray (3-4, 2.29) will try to give Arizona its second win in six games of a 10-game homestand.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.