Lee has solid debut as Marlins beat Brewers 4-0
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Carlos Lee doubled and scored in his Miami debut, Mark Buerhle struck out a season-best eight over 7 2-3 innings and the Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 Thursday to split the four-game series.
Buehrle (8-8) allowed only six hits to the Brewers, who had produced 25 runs the previous three games. The left-hander was challenged in the fourth when the Brewers had runners at the corners with two outs, but he struck out Rickie Weeks to end the threat.
The Brewers failed to advance a runner to third the rest of the way.
Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen relieved Buerhle with one on and two outs in the eighth, and Steve Cishek stranded Cody Ransom at second when he struck out pinch-hitter Travis Ishikawa.
Buehrle, who came in with a 1.29 ERA in his last two starts, has three consecutive wins with at least seven strikeouts. His current run came after four straight losses.
Greg Dobbs hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer off Jose Veras in the top of the ninth for Miami.
Randy Choate started the ninth and immediately hit Norichika Aoki, prompting Guillen to bring in Heath Bell, who got Ryan Braun to hit into his third double play of the game. Aramis Ramirez then singled, but Bell struck out Corey Hart for his 19th save.
Lee needed just two at-bats in his first game with the Marlins to make his presence known. He struck out in the first before doubling in the fourth. Hustling all the way, he scored easily on Logan Morrison’s single.
Morrison snapped Milwaukee starter Mike Fiers’ streak of scoreless innings at 21 1-3 with the run-scoring hit. Fiers (3-3) allowed two run on seven hits. He walked one and struck out nine, one off his season high.
Unrattled, Fiers was just as tough as Buehrle and limited Miami to that one run on six hits until getting chased in the eighth.
Jose Reyes singled and took third on Lee’s one-out single. Manny Parra relieved Fiers, who left to a standing ovation. Morrison hit into a fielder’s choice to score Reyes before Veras took over for Parra and retired Justin Ruggiano on a grounder to second to end the inning.
Lee, acquired in a trade with the Houston Astros on Wednesday, started at first base.
NOTES: The temperature was 101 degrees at first pitch. … Aoki extended his Brewers-best hitting streak to 12 games. … Marlins All-Star RF Giancarlo Stanton missed his third consecutive game with discomfort in his right knee. … Miami, which also received cash in the Lee trade, sent a pair of minor-leaguers, INF Matt Dominguez and LHP Rob Rasmussen, to Houston. … After Gomez struck out swinging in the sixth, he slammed his bat and broke it.
