Jesus Luzardo allowed one hit over seven innings for his first win since April, and Jacob Stallings and Peyton Burdick hit back-to-back homers as the Miami Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 at Wrigley Field on Sunday to avoid a hat-trick. game sweep.
Yan Gomes singled with two outs in the fifth off Luzardo (3-4). Nick Madrigal’s leadoff single in the ninth off Tanner Scott was the Cubs’ only other hit. Scott got a groundout and two strikeouts for his 15th save.
“(Luzardo) was aware of his delivery,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He is throwing the ball in the strike zone. He’s not beating himself, he’s getting teams to beat him and his stuff is good enough that they don’t go out there and throw a bunch of hits against Jesus.”
Charles Leblanc led off the fifth with a double off Adrian Sampson (0-3) before Stallings put the Marlins on the board with his third homer of the year, a two-run shot just over the left-field fence.
Burdick connected on the next pitch for his first major league home run. He got the first hit of his career on Saturday.
The rookie said he gave his father the two souvenir balls “so he doesn’t lose them.”
“Luzardo was pushing,” Burdick said. “It was nice to be able to get some runs, give them to the bullpen and let them keep them.”
After a 56-minute rain delay at the start, Luzardo struck out six and walked one in his first victory since April 30. It was just the Marlins’ second win in nine games.
The 24-year-old Peruvian southpaw blocked the Cubs with four-seam fastballs inside, two-seam fastballs far and low speed changes in the zone.
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“Even though it seemed a little easy and effortless at first because of the number of pitches,” Luzardo said, “I feel like not having my slider, which is my best pitch, in my head put me in that position. -mode to work.”
Sampson allowed six hits in six innings, striking out four and walking one.
“Apart from Stallings’ home run, I thought he was holding the ball pretty well,” Sampson said. “Throwing the fastball where I want, which has been key for me this whole year. Then just tune things out of speed and be able to push guys away or keep them off balance. He was a little off today in that (fifth) inning.”
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The Cubs snapped a five-game home win streak and were shut out for the seventh time this season.
“Too many breaking balls to Stallings for the home run and then a Burdick ambush, and that was the game,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “They have a good staff. They launched this series well. We were able to take two of three, but tonight we just couldn’t capitalize.”
LHP Wade Miley (shoulder strain) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday. Miley last pitched for the Cubs on June 10. … Rookie CF Christopher Morel is day-to-day with right hamstring strain.
RHP Keegan Thompson (8-5, 3.48 ERA) starts Monday night against RHP Aníbal Sánchez (0-4, 7.65) when the Cubs host the Washington Nationals for a three-game series.