PHOENIX (AP) — Ricky Nolasco won his fourth straight decision and Dan Uggla drove in two runs with a bloop single and a broken-bat infield hit to lead the Florida Marlins to a 3-2 victory over Dan Haren and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
Nolasco (9-6) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking three. The right-hander didn't alllow a home run for the first time in five starts. He entered the game the NL leader in that category with 20.
Clay Hensley struck out the side for Florida in the eighth, then Leo Nunez, apparently none the worse for wear after being knocked on his backside while sitting on a chair in a bullpen collision with right fielder Mike Stanton on Thursday night, threw a perfect ninth for his 19th save.
Haren (7-7), 0-3 in his last five starts, gave up three runs and 10 hits in 6 2-3 innings.
Florida improved to 6-5 with two games remaining in its longest road trip of the season.
Haren left with two outs in the seventh after Uggla's broken-bat hit dribbled past the mound. Third baseman Mark Reynolds fielded it bare-handed but his throw to first was just late and Florida led 3-1. Haren struck out six and walked two. Arizona's workhorse starter threw 118 pitches and is averaging 116 in his last eight starts.
Chris Young, Arizona's representative in the All-Star game, got his 60th RBI of the season with a run-scoring groundout to shortstop to cut the lead to 3-2 in the seventh. Stephen Drew led off the inning with a double, then Gerardo Prra walked. Pinch-hitter Augie Ojeda advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. Young had 42 RBIs last season.
The Marlins loaded the bases in the first and got a leadoff double from Stanton in the second, but failed to score both times. They broke through with two runs in the third on a walk and three singles.
After Hanley Ramirez walked and Jorge Cantu singled, Uggla got his 50th RBI with a bloop single to center. Cody Ross followed with an RBI single to right.
Arizona cut it to 2-1 in the fourth when, with two outs and the bases loaded, Parra hit a dribbler off the glove of Nolasco for an RBI single. Uggla, the second baseman, fielded it and tossed to the shortstop Ramirez covering second, but narrowly missed the force out. Haren, one of the best hitting pitchers in the game, followed and missed a grand slam by inches when Stanton caught the ball at the top of the right field fence.
Notes: After Thursday night's game, the Marlins optioned RHP Tim Wood to Triple-A New Orleans and selected the minor league contract of LHP Dan Meyer. ... Florida is 8-14 against the NL West. ... Arizona 2B Kelly Johnson has hit safely in 19 of his last 21 home games. ... Arizona signed fourth-round draft pick RHP Kevin Munson and assigned him to Class A South Bend. The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with seventh-round pick RHP Jeffrey Shields. ... The Diamondbacks have lost in Haren's last five starts. ... Reynolds fanned three times and leads the majors with 119 strikeouts. He is a shade off his pace of a year ago when he set the major league record for the second straight season with 223.
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