The Miami Marlins won their seventh straight game on Monday night, defeating the Houston Astros 4-0 behind a brilliant outing by starter Carlos Zambrano. The Marlins' pitcher gave up just three hits in complete game shutout, as he cruised through the Houston lineup and kept the Miami streak alive. Zambrano was absolutely dominant, striking out nine and walking just one in what was the best pitching performance of the season for Ozzie Guillen so far. It was Zambrano's first win of the season, and he removed all doubt by going the distance. No Houston batter passed first base all evening.
On offense, it was Giancarlo Stanton who put the fish on the board first, crushing a two-run homer to left field in the fourth inning. With Big Z in complete control, that's all Miami would need to get a series opening win. Catcher John Buck would add another just an inning later, hitting his second homer of the season to make it 3-0.
The Marlins will look to clinch the series and extend the streak to eight on Tuesday night, with Anibal Sanchez scheduled to go for Guillen. Aneury Rodriguez, recalled from AAA, will start for the Astros.
For more on the Miami Marlins visit SB Nation’s Marlins blog Fish Stripes. For more on the Houston Astros, visit SB Nation’s Astros blog The Crawfish Boxes. For more on the MLB in general, visit Baseball Nation.