Phoenix, AZ – Giancarlo Stanton hit a pair of tape-measure home runs and the Miami Marlins scored nine times in the fourth inning, en route to a 12-3 thrashing of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the opener of a four- game series at Chase Field.
Stanton knocked in four runs, Jose Reyes went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Justin Ruggiano and John Buck launched solo shots for the Marlins, who split a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies over the weekend. Carlos Lee contributed three hits and two RBI in the rout.
Mark Buehrle (11-11) allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks over seven innings to win his second straight start. Chris Hatcher tossed the final two innings.
"It was nice," Buehrle said of getting a lot of run support. "If you get a lead like that, obviously you don't want to go out there and just pump heaters, you still have got to pitch and get guys out."
Jason Kubel hit a solo home run and knocked in two, while Chris Johnson drove in a run for the Diamondbacks, whose four-game winning streak came to a crashing halt. Joe Saunders (6-10) was lit up for nine runs on 12 hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Following the game, the Diamondbacks shipped shortstop Stephen Drew to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor league infielder Sean Jamieson.
Drew has missed 137 games with Arizona from July 21, 2011 through June 26 due to a fractured right ankle. He is hitting just .193 with two home runs and 12 RBI this season.
Arizona opened the scoring in its first at-bat when Kubel launched a two-out shot into the seats in right field, but Miami's offense roared to life in the fourth, picking up 10 hits and nine runs.
Donovan Solano, Reyes and Lee hit consecutive singles to tie the game. Stanton followed with the big blow -- a towering three-run shot to left -- to put the Marlins ahead, 4-1. Ruggiano then clubbed a long ball to center field.
The massive inning continued as Buck singled and Emilio Bonifacio reached with a two-out single to third. Solano came up for the second time in the inning and reached with an RBI base hit, and Reyes ripped a double to left field. Lee capped the frame with an RBI base hit up the middle.
Johnson singled home Paul Goldschmidt in the home fourth, but the Marlins got the run back in the fifth courtesy of an RBI triple by Donnie Murphy.
Stanton sent another monster shot into the seats leading off the seventh and Buck got a hold of a high slider from Diamondbacks reliever Brad Bergesen and deposited it into the right field bleachers to move Miami's cushion to 12-2.
A groundout by Kubel in the eighth allowed Chris Young, who doubled earlier in the frame, to cross the plate.
"Joe just didn't throw the ball very good, they got three dink hits off of him," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "He just felt tired, they got four more hits and nine runs. It happened quickly."
Game Notes
Miami improved to 2-3 against the Diamondbacks this season ... The Marlins matched a team-record for hits in one inning and the nine tallies in the fourth were the most in one frame since the team put up nine in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 9, 2011 ... It was the third time in Marlins history they have scored nine or more runs in one inning ... Solano, Reyes and Lee all had two hits in the fourth inning. It was the first time in Marlins history that three players have had two hits in one frame ...It was Stanton's sixth career two-home run game and his second this season ... Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton has reached base safely in 16 consecutive home games.
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