MIAMI (AP) — Michael Conforto homered and singled, Nico Hoerner had three hits and an RBI and the Chicago Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 6-5 on Saturday.
Michael Busch and Miguel Amaya each doubled and singled for the Cubs, who finished with 13 hits. Cubs star outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong singled, walked and drove in a run, while Ian Happ had two hits and two RBIs.
Kyle Stowers and Griffin Conine homered for two of the Marlins’ six hits.
Ryan Rolison
(8-1) got the final out in the seventh and first in the eighth for the win. Ryan Zeferjahn pitched the last 1 2/3 innings for his fifth save. After a 3-2 called third strike with two out to Conine in the ninth was overturned on the ABS review, Zeferjahn retired Otto Lopez on a flyout to right.
Cubs starter Javier Assad allowed three runs and three hits over 4 2/3 innings. Recalled from Triple-A Saturday, Assad walked five and struck out three.
Caleb Thielbar relieved Assad with a runner on in the fifth and allowed Conine’s drive into the upper deck in right that got Miami within 5-4.
Busch singled in a run in the sixth to make it 6-4 before Miami narrowed it to one again on Stowers’ solo homer in the seventh.
Conforto’s solo homer and Happ’s two-run single in the third off Marlins starter Ryan Gusto (1-4) in the third put the Cubs ahead 3-0.
Chicago padded the lead on Crow-Armstrong’s RBI single in the fourth.
The Cubs have not announced a starter for the series finale Sunday, while RHP Tyler Phillips (4-6, 3.43) was set to start for the Marlins.
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