ATLANTA — Donovan Solano delivered a pinch-hit, go-ahead single off Braves closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning, and the Miami Marlins beat Atlanta 4-3 on Thursday night.
The Marlins, who snapped a streak of eight straight losses to the Braves with Wednesday night’s 6-3 victory, won two of three in the series. Miami has won eight of its last 10 overall.
Marcell Ozuna had three hits, including a homer, and drove in two runs for Miami.
A.J. Ramos (3-2) allowed one hit with four strikeouts in two scoreless innings. Steve Cishek pitched the ninth for his 17th save.
Cishek walked Freddie Freeman to open the ninth. With one out, Giancarlo Stanton made a lunging catch of Dan Uggla’s drive to the right-center gap to preserve the lead. Cishek struck out B.J. Upton to end the game.
Kimbrel (2-2) issued walks to Ed Lucas and Logan Morrison, and struck out Stanton and Ozuna. Solano, pinch-hitting for Derek Dietrich, singled to right field. Lucas scored from second, beating Jason Heyward’s throw to the plate.
Henderson Alvarez came off the 60-day disabled list for his Marlins debut and gave up hits to four of the first five batters to open the game. Freeman’s single drove in Andrelton Simmons and Heyward. Freeman scored on Brian McCann’s double for a 3-0 lead.
Alvarez made a quick recovery to retire the next 11 batters, providing his teammates an opportunity to rally against Julio Teheran.
Ozuna hit his fifth homer in the second inning. Jeff Mathis singled to lead off the second and scored on a groundout by Lucas. Ozuna added a fourth-inning single to drive in Morrison, who doubled, for a 3-all tie.
In his shortest outing since lasting five innings on April 18 at Pittsburgh, Teheran gave up six hits and three runs in five innings. He struck out seven.
Alvarez also allowed three runs in five innings. He gave up five hits with no walks.
Alvarez was lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth when the Marlins had runners on first and third with one out. Greg Dobbs popped out and David Carpenter ended the inning on Justin Ruggiano’s groundout.
Notes
The Marlins optioned RHP Tom Koehler to Triple-A New Orleans to clear a roster spot for Alvarez. Koehler was 1-5 with a 4.70 ERA in 16 games, including 10 starts. ... Braves C-OF Evan Gattis, recovering from a right oblique injury, took swings off a tee. Gattis has been on the 15-day DL since June 18. ... The Braves placed OF Jordan Schafer on the 15-day DL with a right ankle contusion. He has been limited since fouling a ball off his ankle on June 26. OF Joey Terdoslavich was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett and struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth. ... RHP Tim Hudson will face LHP Cliff Lee when the Braves open a series at Philadelphia tonight. ... Miami’s road trip shifts to St. Louis, where RHP Jacob Turner will face Cardinals RHP Jake Westbrook tonight.
LATE WEDNESDAY
MARLINS 6, BRAVES 3
ATLANTA — Ricky Nolasco tossed seven strong innings amid persistent trade rumors, Justin Ruggiano hit a three-run homer and Miami beat Atlanta on Wednesday night.
Marlins manager Mike Redmond said before the game that Nolasco has not been affected by trade speculation and the right-hander supported that claim by giving up only two runs on six hits.
Nolasco (5-8) had no walks with seven strikeouts, giving him 1,001 for his career.
The Braves led 2-0 before Ruggiano’s homer off Mike Minor (8-4) in the fifth. Miami added a run in the sixth when Placido Polanco singled and scored on Adeiny Hechavarria’s double. Jeff Mathis added a two-run double in the eighth.