Eric Wagaman delivered a go-ahead, two-run triple with two outs in the eighth inning and Kyle Stowers homered to help the visiting Miami Marlins defeat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Saturday.
Marlins pitching limited the White Sox to four hits, including two from Lenyn Sosa. Jesus Tinoco worked a perfect ninth to pick up his third save.
Chicago’s Andrew Vaughn opened the scoring with a solo home run with two outs in the first, connecting against Marlins starter Edward Cabrera for his second homer in as many games.
White Sox starter Shane Smith, a rookie right-hander, helped the lead stand up for much of the night. He scattered four hits over six scoreless innings while matching a career high with seven strikeouts.
Smith didn’t walk a batter while matching his April 8 outing at Cleveland with six scoreless frames.
After surrendering a single to Xavier Edwards leading off the game, Smith allowed singles in the second and third innings but escaped further trouble. Javier Sanoja doubled to start the Miami sixth and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Smith worked out of the jam, retiring Wagaman on a flyout to right to end the threat.
The Marlins broke through against the White Sox bullpen. Stowers tied the game with a seventh-inning solo shot against Steven Wilson before Miami rallied against Jordan Leasure and Brandon Eisert in the eighth. Eisert entered the game with two outs and walked the first batter he faced before Wagaman lined a two-run triple to left-center field. Michael A. Taylor attempted a diving catch but came up short as the ball rolled to the wall.
Cabrera spaced one run and three hits in five innings with one walk and two strikeouts.
Calvin Faucher (2-1) picked up the victory, yielding one hit with two strikeouts in a scoreless seventh.
Leasure (0-3) allowed one run in 2/3 of an inning while striking out two.
Sanoja had two hits for the Marlins. Connor Norby stole two bases.
White Sox prospect Tim Elko was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte before the game and went 0-for-3 in his major league debut. Elko, a first baseman, was a 10th-round pick of Chicago in 2022.
–Field Level Media
