myplainview
CHICAGO (AP) — Griffin Conine delivered a tiebreaking single that scored Esteury Ruiz, igniting a six-run 12th inning as the Miami Marlins defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-2 on Tuesday night, halting Chicago's push for an NL wild card.
Conine's well-placed blooper to left field put Miami ahead for good. Jakob Marsee followed with a run-scoring single, and Joe Mack capped the outburst with a two-run single.
Kyle Stowers hit a solo homer for the Marlins (77-80), who had lost three in a row. Josh Ekness (3-4) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.
The Cubs (87-70) could have clinched a playoff berth with a win or an Arizona loss, but the Diamondbacks won 7-2 at Colorado.
Chicago and San Diego were tied at the top of the wild-card standings going into Tuesday's action, and Philadelphia was one game back in the third slot. The Phillies posted a 6-4 victory over Milwaukee, and the Padres were at the Los Angeles Dodgers later Tuesday night.
Key Analysis
The Cubs had a chance to win the game in the 10th, loading the bases with two down. But Miami second baseman Javier Sanoja robbed Pedro Ramirez of a game-ending single with a terrific sliding stop.
Chicago played without third baseman Alex Bregman, who is recovering from multiple facial fractures after he was struck in the face by a foul ball. The three-time All-Star could return to the lineup before the end of the regular season this weekend.
Miami jumped in front when Stowers doubled and scored on Agustin Ramirez's single in the fourth. Stowers added his 20th homer in the sixth.
Chicago rallied in the bottom half, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Michael Busch then hit a hard grounder to first, but Mack mishandled Deyvison De Los Santos' throw to the plate and Pete Crow-Armstrong scampered home with the Cubs' first run. One batter later, Ian Happ hit a tying single off Calvin Faucher.
Up next: Ryan Gusto (1-5, 4.14 ERA) starts for Miami on Wednesday night, and fellow right-hander Kevin Gausman (9-12, 4.55) pitches for Chicago.
_ See AP's full MLB coverage here.
Originally reported by myplainview.