Graham Pauley hit a two-run homer and a two-run triple while Tyler Phillips allowed one hit over five scoreless innings as the visiting Miami Marlins beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Pauley was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville as major league rosters were expanded, and he recorded a career-high four RBIs. Kyle Stowers also homered and Javier Sanoja had two hits with an RBI for the Marlins (70-69), who earned a needed win after dropping three of four at Washington.
Phillips (4-6) allowed only a leadoff single to Carter Jensen in the first inning plus two walks while striking out four.
Jensen had two hits and an RBI and Nick Loftin clubbed a ninth-inning homer for the Royals (62-77), whose season-high seven-game home winning streak ended.
Kansas City’s Randy Dobnak (2-3), who entered with a 1.92 ERA in 10 appearances and eight starts, was charged with a season-high six runs on seven hits over six-plus innings. He fanned six and walked two.
Miami, which blew a 3-0 lead against the Nationals on Monday, grabbed another early advantage in this contest. In the second inning, Owen Caissie reached on an infield hit, and Pauley subsequently sent a Dobnak pitch over the fence and into the right field bullpen.
The Marlins made it 3-0 when Stowers delivered his own two-out homer, and also over the right field fence, in the fifth.
In the seventh, Pauley helped Miami break things open. After back-to-back singles from Otto Lopez and Joe Mack, both scored when Pauley lined a triple that split the right center field gap and ended Dobnak’s night. Sanoja followed with an RBI single off Anthony Gose.
Kansas City finally got on the board in the eighth against Miami’s Victor Vodnik. Jensen recorded an RBI double and Bobby Witt Jr. delivered a sacrifice fly to left field. The Royals initially got a third run in the frame via a Vodnik balk that apparently scored Jensen from third, but after the umpires met to discuss the incident, the balk call was overturned.
Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro was ejected for arguing the final ruling on that call.
–Field Level Media
