MIAMI (AP) — The Texas Rangers had a great opportunity to take the lead in the ninth inning, but an unsuccessful squeeze play proved to be costly.
Daniel Robertson was unable to get the bunt down leaving the charging Elvis Andrus in a run-down ending the threat and the Miami Marlins took advantage of the blunder when Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Marlins to a 4-3 win on Tuesday night.
Roberton pulled the bat back on the outside pitch with one out.
“He’s got to get a piece of that ball,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “That ball did not hit the ground so he’s got to go out there and get that ball, at least foul it off. He can’t pull his bat back.”
Robertson said: “The pitch had nothing to do with it. The manager makes the call, calls a squeeze, you’ve got to get it down. If you have to dive, dive. If you have to jump, jump. You’ve got to get it down.”
The Rangers were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
“That’s what we definitely have to get better on, driving in runs when they’re out there,” Washington said. “We put ourselves in position but we just don’t cash them in.”
Stanton wanted to make up for a blunder in right field in the seventh, but walked the next two at-bats before hitting an RBI single on a 1-2 count with with two outs in the 10th inning off of Neftali Feliz for their third straight win.
“I didn’t like the sliders that were called so I was already fired up about that, I knew that we were in extra innings because of me so I was already fired up about that, so when I saw (Feliz) dragging in I was just like, ‘You put us in this situation, just make sure you’re calm and collected and get us out,'” Stanton said.
Miami (63-62) surpassed last year’s total of 62. The Marlins moved over .500 for the first time since June 20.
Jeff Baker reached with one out in the 10th on first baseman Mike Carp’s error. Donovan Solano’s infield single with two outs moved Baker to second.
Neftali Feliz relieved Neal Cotts (2-7) to face Stanton, who singled to right field.
“We had the right guy there and he had a heck of an at-bat and hit a bullet to right,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said.
Sam Dyson (2-0) struck out the side in the 10th.
Marcell Ozuna hit his 17th home run and Christian Yelich had three hits for the Marlins.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: Washington was hopeful that RHP Yu Darvish (right shoulder inflammation) would be able to return from the disabled list on Aug. 25, but that appears unlikely as Darvish has not picked up a baseball yet. “I’m backing off,” Washington said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” … RF Alex Rios was scratched from the starting lineup with a bruised right thumb, but came into the game in the ninth inning.
Marlins: LHP Dan Jennings (concussion) threw one scoreless inning in his first rehab assignment with Gulf Coast League Marlins on Tuesday. “Everything went good so I think the plan for him is to throw a couple innings in his next outing in the next couple of days,” Redmond said.
UP NEXT
Miami native Nick Martinez (2-9, 5.27) will start for the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon against Marlins RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-7, 3.96).
RETURN TO FLORIDA
Mikolas, who grew up in nearby Jupiter and played at Nova Southeastern University, had a number of friends and family members in attendance.
“It was great, friends and family came out,” Mikolas said. “All my coaches and teammates from back at Nova came, my high school coach, my high school teammates. It was fun to know that they were out there.
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