Omar Infante was twice the goat for the Florida Marlins at home on Monday night, failing to lay down a key sacrifice bunt in the eighth, and getting doubled off on a fly ball to end the inning. But he’ll be remembered as the hero, delivering a ninth-inning, bases-loaded single off beleaguered Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton, and Florida walked off with a 5-4 victory.
Dodgers Vs. Marlins: Broxton, Defense Collapse; Florida Walks Off
Both starters delivered quality starts, with Jon Garland going seven strong innings and allowing only two solo home runs to Chris Coughlan, and Ricky Nolasco giving up three earned runs in 6-1/3 innings. Trailing 2-1 in the seventh, the Dodgers chased Nolasco by putting runners on second and third with one out. Reliever Ryan Webb allowed an RBI groundout to Aaron Miles and an RBI single to Jamey Carroll to give Los Angeles a 3-2 lead. They tacked on a run in the eighth on a James Loney single.
Though the Marlins closed the gap in the bottom of the inning, Infante ran them out of that inning. After two quick outs in the ninth, it looked like Broxton was going to close the door without any drama, but he could not throw his fastball for strikes. He was facing Emilio Bonifacio, who has a Kuiperian record of power in the majors, with just one home run for his career -- an inside-the-park home run at that.
Here is the pitch sequence from Broxton to Bonifacio:
So long as you keep him in the park, I guess!
With that, the Marlins had the tying run on, and Broxton and the Dodgers' defense melted down. The slumping Hanley Ramirez singled Bonafacio to third, and Carroll whiffed on a slow chopper by Scott Cousins for an error, tying the game. Don Mattingly ordered a walk to Coghlan to load the bases, and Broxton immediately fell behind in the count to Infante. The next pitch was a belt-high fastball, and Infante didn’t miss it. Left fielder Jerry Sands did, however, taking an odd route to the line drive, then watching the ball sail just a few inches over his glove. Hanley Ramirez jogged home for the win.
The series continues tomorrow with Clayton Kershaw going for the Dodgers, and Chris Volstad pitching for the Marlins.
For more on the Dodgers and Marlins, please visit team blogs True Blue LA and Fish Stripes.
See More:
