MLB ROUNDUP: Marlins’ Jean Segura snaps slump to hit walk-off RBI single in 3-2 win over Cubs

Freshman Marlins third baseman Jean Segura snapped out of his sustained slump and hit a game-ending RBI single to lift Miami to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night.

Jorge Soler started the winning rally with an opening single. Michael Rucker (1-1) then downed Luis Arraez and Avisaíl García before Segura grounded back up the middle and through a retracted infield.

“Any time you put a ‘W’ on the board is always good,” Segura said. ‘It’s not about me. It’s about the team winning baseball games and playing good baseball.”

Segura is in his first season with Miami after completing a two-year, $17 million contract in January. The veteran infielder started Friday’s game with a .203 batting average.

“I can’t remember having a harder piece,” Segura said. “At some point it happens to all major leaguers. I have to keep working hard and do my best to get out.’

AJ Puk (3-0) retired the side to win. Chicago got two runners with two outs in the top of the ninth, but Nelson Velázquez was forced out in second place.

Miami improved to 8-0 in one-run games this season. The Marlins are also 3-0 this year in their teal jerseys.

“We have a lot of winners in our clubhouse,” said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. “They know what winning looks like.”

The Cubs wasted a strong start by Marcus Stroman, who gave up two runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Chicago went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled twice and stole two bases for the Marlins. Jesús Luzardo also threw 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball.

“We have tremendous confidence in our bullpen and tremendous confidence in our hitters,” said Luzardo. It doesn’t matter if we lose by two, three, five runs. Everyone in the dugout is optimistic that we will score.’

The Cubs took a 2-1 lead on Eric Hosmer’s pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh. Hosmer drove in Cody Bellinger, who tripled with one out on a line drive to left.

The Marlins tied in the bottom of the inning. Arraez walked, moved to third base on García’s single and scored on Segura’s single to left.

“I feel like I’m starting to catch my stride and as the year goes on I’m not going to have those spurts where I sort of lose out with a batter on four pitches,” Stroman said of his walk to Arraez.

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner singled in the third, extending his on-base streak to 23 games. It is the third longest active streak in the majors.

Chicago jumped forward on Velázquez’ solo shot in the third. Velázquez drove Luzardo’s first pitch over the wall to the left for his third homer.

Miami tied the 2nd half when Jesús Sánchez scored from third base on a double play grounder by Jon Berti.

PHILLIES 3, ASTROS 1

Aaron Nola threw eight smooth innings, Kyle Schwarber homered and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Houston Astros 3-1 on Friday-evening in a rematch of last year’s World Series.

Nola (2-2) gave up one run and three hits with six strikeouts. The right-hander retired 11 consecutive batters in one play and then the last 12 batters he faced. Nola had allowed at least three runs in each of his previous five starts this season.

Schwarber hit a solo home run in the first before Jeremy Peña answered in the bottom half with one of his own.

Cristian Pache gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead in the fifth with an RBI double, and Brandon Marsh added an RBI single in the seventh.

José Alvarado worked the ninth for his fifth save.

Mauricio Dubón’s 20-game hitting streak was broken for Houston. He went 0 for 4.

Framber Valdez (2-3) gave up three runs and eight hits in seven innings. The All-Star lefty won Games 2 and 6 of the 2022 World Series as the Astros defeated Philadelphia for their second championship. Valdez gave up two runs in 12 1/3 innings in those two starts.

The Astros had a chance to tie the score in the fifth with runners on the corners and no one out, but Jake Meyers hit a slow dribbler to first base and José Abreu was thrown out at the plate. Nola took out Rylan Bannon and Martín Maldonado to end the threat.

RAYS 3, WHITE SOX 2

Isaac Paredes hit three hits, including a leadoff homer in the ninth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the sliding Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Friday night.

Paredes hit Kendall Graveman’s second pitch deep left for his fourth homer. He also doubled twice and scored twice.

Isaac was ready to go. Big day for him,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash.

Rookie Kevin Kelly, the last of five Tampa Bay relievers, got the final out for his first career save. Colin Poche (2-0) took the win after the bullpen allowed only one hit in the last four innings.

The AL East-leading Rays won for the eighth time in 10 games.

Chicago has dropped nine straight for the longest slip in the franchise since losing 10 straight games in 2013.

Jake Burger and Andrew Vaughn homered for the White Sox. Lucas Giolito gave up two runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Graveman (1-2) has allowed one run in each of his last two appearances.

Brandon Lowe hit a sac-fly in the first inning for Tampa Bay, and Manuel Margot tied the score at 2 with a two-out RBI single in the fourth. The first run was scored on a fielding error by the White Sox.

“Mental mistakes against championship-level teams,” said Chicago manager Pedro Grifol. “You don’t win that way.”

The Rays improved to 5-0 against the White Sox this season. They swept a three-game series last weekend in St. Petersburg and won the opener of this four-game set on Thursday-evening.

“I feel like we were built to win tough ball games,” said Cash. “We’re going to have a lot of tough ball games for most of the season.”

Vaughn homered off Zach Eflin in the first inning and Burger added his seventh in the second inning.

Eflin gave up six hits, struckout five batters and walked two batters in five innings.

TWINS 8, ROYALS 6

Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco and Jose Miranda homered as the Minnesota Twins won 8-6 against the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

Kansas City loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning, but Jorge López struckout Nick Pratto on a full-count pitch for his second save.

Salvador Perez had three hits, including a home run, and two RBI’s for the Royals. Pratto added three hits and two RBI’s, and Edward Olivares doubled twice, tripled and scored three runs.

The Twins have scored 33 points in their last five games after starting the season in an offensive slump. The three home runs gave Minnesota a season-high 36, second-highest in the American League behind the Rays.

“The home runs are an important part of that. They really are,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “But I think we’ve been pretty consistent in talking about the way we’ve approached the at bats and how our at bats have gone over the past week. That’s what leads to those kinds of really important big swings and guys hitting the ball around the ballpark. It’s from leaving the fields that we don’t want to wave at, where we might have gone earlier this year, but haven’t lately.”

After the first pitch was delayed two hours by rain, Royals-starter Jordan Lyles (0-5) gave up seven runs in four innings.