CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) – Luis Arraez had a two-run single and Bryan De La Cruz hit a solo homer, sending the Miami Marlins to a 6-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.
Shane Bieber (1-1) matched his career high with four walks and allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings, including De La Cruz’s homer run to right in the sixth. It was the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner’s shortest start this season.
Reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara was scratched in what the Marlins termed “very mild” biceps tendinitis.
Helping spoil Cleveland manager Terry Francona’s 64th birthday, Andrew Nardi (2-1) retired all four batters he faced in relief of spot starter Devin Smeltzer,
Smeltzer gave up one run in four innings, and Huascar Brazoban, Matt Barnes and Steven Okert finished a four-hitter.
Arraez drove in Jon Berti and Jorge Soler in the seventh, when Miami scored three times off Nick Sandlin and Tim Herrin to extend its lead to 6-1. Arraez went 1 for 4 and is hitting a major league-best .426 as he seeks a second straight big league batting title.
Miami went ahead in the second on Yuli Gurriel’s RBI single and Jacob Stallings’s run-scoring grounder. Josh Bell doubled in Amed Rosario in the fourth.
Passing showers delayed the first pitch by 1 hour, 50 minutes. The series opener Friday was rained out and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader.
