MIAMI (AP) — With Giancarlo Stanton going on the disabled list and likely out for the rest of the regular season, manager Don Mattingly said the Miami Marlins would need to find new ways to win.
That’s what they did Sunday. Pitcher Tom Koehler hit a two-run infield single. Ichiro Suzuki drove in a runner from second base with a sacrifice bunt. And Christian Yelich threw a strike from left field on the final play, giving Miami a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
“We lost a little confidence knowing the big guy is going to be on the DL,” third baseman Martin Prado said. “But we had a mission today — go up there and find a way to perform.”
The victory averted a series sweep and provided a morale boost for the Marlins, who put Stanton and left-hander Adam Conley on the disabled list before the game. Stanton is expected to be sidelined at least six weeks with a strained groin.
“We’re not the same club without him, but we’re still good enough to move forward,” Mattingly said. “We’ll have a little different look.”
The Marlins won without Stanton on their first try when Yelich threw out pinch-runner Carlos Sanchez trying to score from second base on a two-out hit in the ninth inning.
With runners at first and second, Tyler Saladino singled to left, but Yelich charged to field the ball on one hop and threw on the fly to catcher Jeff Mathis, who blocked the plate and tagged Sanchez for the game-ending out.
“I let the throw go and saw it was going to stay pretty straight and we had a shot,” Yelich said. “Matty caught it and put the tag on him. I was looking at (my teammates) and they were pumped, and I said, `This is pretty sweet.”‘
Chicago manager Robin Ventura said Sanchez was right to run the bases aggressively.
“You have to make them make a good play, and they did,” Ventura said. “It was a great throw.”
Fernando Rodney got his third save for Miami despite allowing three hits in the ninth, including a solo homer by Tim Anderson.
Chris Sale (14-6) allowed five runs in 6 2/3 innings. He’s 0-4 in his past six starts and hasn’t won since his suspension for cutting up the team’s throwback jerseys July 23.
“I’m not doing too much to help us win,” Sale said. “It’s frustrating. It would be frustrating for anybody. I don’t know what my lines are or my stats are, but I just know I’m not winning games.”
Miami trailed 2-0 before scoring three times in the fifth, thanks to four consecutive singles and Suzuki’s RBI bunt, which caught the White Sox napping.
The bunt came with runners at first and second and nobody out, and catcher Omar Narvaez hustled toward the mound to field the ball and throw Suzuki out. But that left the plate uncovered, and Robert Andino — who had been at second base — kept running and scored without a throw.
Sale said he was guilty of a brain cramp.
“I’ve got to be at home plate for that,” he said.
Prado’s RBI single in the seventh put Miami ahead to stay. Marcell Ozuna snapped a 1-for-28 slump with two hits and drove in a run. Suzuki, who becomes a regular with Stanton out, didn’t add to his career total of 3,003 hits but contributed his 13th RBI and scored Miami’s final run.
Koehler allowed three runs in six innings. Mike Dunn (3-1) pitched a perfect seventh.
Chicago’s Adam Eaton homered on the game’s first pitch. Jose Abreu hit an RBI single in the first inning, and a game-tying double that caromed off the third-base bag in the sixth.
LATE ARRIVAL
2B Andino, recalled from Triple-A to take Stanton’s roster spot, flew overnight from Las Vegas, landed at 9 a.m. and went directly to the ballpark. “I ain’t complaining,” he said. The nine-year veteran went 1 for 3 in his first major league game since 2013.
GLOVE GEMS
2B Saladino retreated into short center field to make running catches that robbed Prado and Adeiny Hechavarria of hits. The latter grab came with two runners aboard to end the second inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins INF Derek Dietrich was sore after being hit by a pitch Saturday for the 22nd time, this time in the right leg. He walked as a pinch-hitter in the eighth Sunday.
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP David Phelps (5-6, 2.40) is scheduled to start Monday when Miami begins a four-game series at Cincinnati. The Marlins swept a three-game set from the Reds in July.
White Sox: LHP Jose Quintana (9-8, 2.85) is scheduled to start Tuesday when Chicago opens a three-game series at Cleveland. The Indians have won six in a row from the White Sox.
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