Josh Bell homers, Max Meyer fans career-high 7 batters as Marlins beat Braves 5-1
Miami Marlins' Josh Bell celebrates as he heads to home plate after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Miami. Credit: AP/Wilfredo Lee
MIAMI — Josh Bell homered, Max Meyer allowed one run over six innings, and the Miami Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Saturday for their first home win of the season.
Bell hit a fly ball off Braves starter Chris Sale that sneaked over the left-field wall of a windy loanDepot in the first inning. It was Bell's second home run of the season.
Meyer (2-0) continued his strong start, limiting the Braves’ high-powered offense to one run on six hits while striking out a career-high seven batters and not issuing a walk.
Meyer picked up his first career win last Sunday against St. Louis with six innings of one-run ball on three hits. The 25-year-old Meyer, who is ranked as Miami’s third-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, missed last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Bryan De La Cruz gave the Marlins a 5-0 lead with a two-out, bases-loaded double in the fifth off Sale, who recorded outs against the first two batters he faced in the inning and then allowed a single and consecutive walks. Luis Arraez, Bell and Jake Burger scored.
De La Cruz has a hit in 12 of Miami’s 15 games this season and leads the club in hits with 17, two of which came Saturday.
Atlanta's Austin Riley hit a leadoff triple off Meyer in the sixth and scored on a groundout by Marcell Ozuna.
Miami Marlins' Max Meyer delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Miami. Credit: AP/Wilfredo Lee
Ozuna extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a leadoff single in the second.
RHP Calvin Faucher, who was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville ahead of the game, replaced Meyer and pitched a perfect seventh. Anthony Bender was perfect in the eighth, and Tanner Scott rounded out a solid bullpen effort for the Marlins, recording the final three outs.
Atlanta's Sale (1-1) allowed five hits and five runs with seven strikeouts and three walks over seven innings.
The Marlins were 0-8 at home entering Saturday's game.
Miami Marlins' Jake Burger scores on a double by Bryan De La Cruz during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Miami. Luis Arraez and Josh Bell also scored on the play. Credit: AP/Wilfredo Lee
TRAINER'S ROOM
Marlins: Tim Anderson missed his second straight game with an illness. ... RHP Matt Andriese was designated for assignment.
UP NEXT
Right-hander Charlie Morton (1-0, 3.18 ERA) will start Sunday's series finale for the Braves against Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo (0-2, 7.20).
