MIAMI (AP) — Connor Norby hit a home run, a double and a single and the Miami Marlins snapped a five-game losing streak with a 7-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
Jesús Sánchez also hit a deep ball and Jonah Bride had two hits for the Marlins, who entered Sunday with an NL-worst record of 46-83.
Norby was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline on July 30 and has extra-base hits in his first six games since being called up from Triple-A on Monday.
“I’m just trying to keep it simple right now, stick to my plan and my approach,” Norby said. “Trust the work I put in. Try to play team baseball. The more you focus on the team, the more pressure it takes off of you as an individual.”
Marlins starter Adam Oller allowed one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. Oller (1-1) gave up 11 runs before Cody Bellinger’s one-out walk in the sixth. Oller was recalled from Triple-A on Monday, gave up two hits and struck out six.
“It’s just a focus on getting ahead and attacking the zone,” Oller said. “The first two innings I tried to be a little too good at certain things, which increased the pitch count. The next three I had to be a little quicker and it worked.”
Javier Assad (6-4) limited Miami to three runs and six hits in a season-record seven innings. The right-handed pitcher walked one and struck out three.
The Marlins broke it open with a four-run eighth off reliever Julian Merryweather. Bride hit an RBI single and Otto López and Kyle Stowers followed with run-scoring doubles. Derek Hill capped the outburst with an RBI single.
Chicago prevented another run when Sanchez failed to touch base after being intentionally walked to load the bases. The Cubs successfully appealed after Merryweather threw to first baseman Michael Busch.
“If guys don’t know the rules, that’s my fault,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “That’s 100 percent my fault. If a player doesn’t know the rules or understand them, I didn’t tell them. I’m assuming it won’t happen again now that it’s been exposed to him.”
Schumaker sent on Cristian Pache to pinch-run for Sánchez before the penalty was given out.
“I let Pache get to it pretty early,” Schumaker said. “It’s also because he saw Pache coming there. He probably thought, ‘I’m out of the game.’ But it’s not his fault.”
A day after reaching .500 for the first time since June 5, the Cubs fell to 65-66.
“It’s a good series, it’s a road series, but I had a chance to make it a great series today and I couldn’t finish it off,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “But winning series is good and we’ve got to keep doing that.”
Homers by Norby and Sánchez in the first inning gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead. Norby homered for the second straight game when his leadoff drive cleared the wall in right field.
“I just tried to be aggressive early on and that’s just who I am as a hitter,” Norby said. “These guys are too good here to sit around in the at-bats.”
The Cubs narrowed the gap thanks to an RBI single by Christian Bethancourt in the second inning.
Miami regained the two-run lead in the third inning on an RBI groundout by Sánchez.
Chicago’s Patrick Wisdom was ejected by plate umpire James Jean after he protested a third strike that ended the fourth round.
Before the game, Miami Heat star center and two-time U.S. Olympian Bam Adebayo threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Adebayo’s throw from the pitching rubber reached the plate and was caught by Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cubs: LHP Jordan Wicks (oblique) threw 4 2/3 scoreless in his second rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday. Wicks is scheduled to make one more appearance with the minor league club before a possible return in September.
Marlins: INF Xavier Edwards (lower back strain) sat out his second straight game. … Transferred OF Dane Myers (left ankle fracture) to the 60-day injured list. … Selected the contract of LHP Jonathan Bermudez from Triple-A Jacksonville, sending Jonathan Ramirez to the same minor league club.
NEXT
Cubs: RHP Jameson Taillon (8-8, 3.77) will play the opening game of a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Monday.
Marlins: They begin a four-game series at Colorado on Monday with RHP Edward Cabrera (2-5, 5.65) set to start the season opener.
