The Miami Marlins returned home on Friday night, their first game at Marlins Park since Wednesday's opening night. And after dropping two straight to the Phillies, they got back on the winning track with a walk-off extra innings 5-4 win over the Houston Astros. The Marlins jumped all over Houston starter Lucas Harrell early on, but then the bats went quiet until the bottom of the 11th inning.
Miami scored four runs off of Harrell in the first three innings, but it was a deep double by Gaby Sanchez that ended the drought and sent the Marlins home winners. Sanchez got a hold of a Brandon Lyon pitched a ripped it to left to bring home Chris Coghlan from first.
Ricky Nolasco had a solid outing for Miami, giving up two earned in five innings pitched. But Houston evened it up in the top of the 8th when the red-hot J.D. Martinez hit his third homer of the season. Martinez got around on an Edward Mujica pitch to tie it a 4-4. But the bullpen would hold it there, setting up the Sanchez heroics in extras.
Carlos Zambrano will make his second start in Game 2 of the series on Saturday. The Astros will counter with Bud Norris, who struck out eight in his first start of the year.
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