MIAMI -- The Florida Marlins are inexperienced,
inexpensive and in the zone.
Cody Ross hit three home runs and matched a career high with
seven RBIs and Dan Uggla went 5-for-5 as the Marlins continued
their improbable postseason surge with a 16-5 demolition of the
New York Mets.
Miguel Cabrera added three RBIs for Florida, which won its third
straight game to improve to 17-5 in its last 22 contests. The
Marlins (73-71), who have both the youngest team and lowest
payroll in baseball, trail the San Diego Padres by only two
games in the NL wild card race.
"I want to go to the playoffs," said Marlins righthander Anibal
Sanchez, who pitched well in his first start since Wednesday's
no-hitter vs. Arizona. "That's what everybody is talking
about."
"They're a good team," Mets outfielder Cliff Floyd added. "A
lot of guys don't want to see these guys in the playoffs."
On a team that seems to have a new hero every night, Monday's
game belonged primarily to Ross, who hit an upper-deck three-run
homer in the first inning, a two-run shot in the sixth and
another two-run blast in the seventh. The rookie outfielder
entered with just nine home runs on the season, including only
one in his last 34 games.
"When Cody plays, he usually makes an impact," Marlins manager
Joe Girardi said. "He has the ability to do a lot of special
things."
"I guess when you're hot, you're hot," Ross said. "I'm not
going up there trying to hit home runs, obviously. I was trying
to put the good part of the bat on it and luckily three of them
went out tonight."
Ross, who began the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and came
to Florida on May 26 in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds,
joined Mike Lowell as the only Marlins to hit three homers in a
game. He received a curtain call after his seventh-inning
blast.
"That was the first time ever in my whole baseball career I got
a curtain call," Ross said. "That was pretty cool. They were
chanting 'Cody' my fifth at-bat. I got some chills when I was
at the plate."
One of Ross' biggest fans is Sanchez, who has been on the mound
for seven of his 12 home runs this season.
"I have to (take Ross out to dinner)," Sanchez joked. "That's
the third or fourth time he's won my games. I would like him
(in the lineup) every time I pitch, but I don't make out the
lineup. That's the manager's job."
Not to be lost in the shuffle was Uggla, who tied a career high
for hits and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Leading off
the fourth, he smacked his 24th homer to match the major league
record for a rookie second baseman set by Joe Gordon of the 1938
New York Yankees.
"Yeah, I always jinx myself when I realize what's going on,"
Uggla said. "I'm like, 'Hey, all I need is a triple' and I
never end up getting it. But I did get two more hits."
The Marlins stroked a franchise-record five homers among their
season-high 20 hits to completely take the spotlight away from
Sanchez (8-2), who improved to 4-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last
six starts.
In this one, the 22-year-old rookie allowed his first hit in the
second inning - a two-run homer to Floyd. But he settled down
thereafter to yield three runs and four hits with a career-high
eight strikeouts in seven innings.
"(Sanchez) looked pretty good for a guy who pitched in the
(Southern League) this year," Floyd said. "You have to give him
credit."
Dave Williams (5-4) was rocked for nine runs and 11 hits in
three innings to lose for the first time in four starts since
joining the Mets.
Carlos Beltran smacked his 40th homer to move within one of the
franchise record, but the Mets still lost for the third time in
four games. However, New York (88-55) still owns a magic number
of four to clinch the National League East Division for the
first time since 1988.
"It's a real accomplishment for me," Beltran said. "I'm not
looking for records. I just want to help the team win, be in
the playoffs and win the World Series."