MIAMI – Luis Arraez went 5 for 5 again to raise his batting average to .400, and Jorge Soler homered as the streaking Miami Marlins routed the Toronto Blue Jays 11-0 on Monday night.
Jon Berti had three hits and Jesús Sánchez doubled twice for the Marlins, who won their fifth straight game and finished with 19 hits — their most since getting 21 on June 1 last year in the opener of a doubleheader at Colorado. Miami improved to a season-best 11 games over .500 at 42-31.
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“This is fun because we’re winning and everybody gets hits,” Arraez said. “I’m excited for this team. When we get to the clubhouse, we are a family.”
It was the second time in his past three games that Arraez went 5 for 5, following an 0-for-15 slide that dropped his average to .378. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the fourth major leaguer since 1900 to have three five-hit games in a calendar month, joining three Hall of Famers: George Sisler (August 1921), Ty Cobb (July 1922) and Dave Winfield (June 1984).
“Anytime you’re mentioned with Ty Cobb, that’s pretty special,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “The way he’s doing it, up the middle, when we need it. A blowout game or non-blowout game. It’s special.”
Arraez has 102 hits in 67 games played, the second-fastest player to 100 in Marlins history. Dee Strange-Gordon reached the century mark in 65 games in 2015.
Arraez’s fifth single, a line drive to left field with the base loaded, scored two and highlighted a five-run seventh. The crowd of 12,226 gave Arraez a standing ovation before the at-bat and chanted “Louie! Louie! Louie!" and “MVP! MVP! MVP!” once he reached first base.
“My hair stood up. I had to step away and take a deep breath,” Arraez said. “I thank the fans who have come to support us and hopefully they will continue to do so.”
No big league player has batted .400 for a full season since Ted Williams hit .406 for the Boston Red Sox in 1941.
Bo Bichette had two hits for the Blue Jays, shut out for the first time this season. Bichette also reached 100 hits with his leadoff single in the ninth.
Soler’s two-run homer and Garrett Cooper’s RBI single in the third put Miami ahead 3-0. Soler drove a breaking pitch from starter José Berríos to left-center for his 21st homer.
The Marlins padded their lead on Soler’s sacrifice fly and Sánchez’s RBI groundout in the fourth.
With a huge lead, Schumaker pinch-hit for Arraez with rookie Jacob Amaya in the eighth. Amaya singled and drove in Miami’s final run.
“Obviously, 19 hits and 11 runs is a lot, but we’re going to enjoy this one tonight and be back ready again to hopefully put together another good day at the plate (Tuesday),” Berti said.
Starting pitcher Bryan Hoeing threw four scoreless innings in a bullpen game for Miami. Hoeing allowed three hits and struck out a career-high five.
Huascar Brazobán (1-1) followed and got the next six outs. He gave up one single.
Berríos (7-5) was lifted after the fourth. The right-hander permitted five runs and eight hits in his shortest outing of the season. He walked one and struck out four.
“They made him work. He threw a lot of pitches,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “The execution just wasn’t quite there, either with the fastball or breaking ball. Good lineup and they’re playing well right now.”
HOEING’S ESCAPE
The Blue Jays threatened in the fourth, when Daulton Varsho and Bichette singled to start the inning. But then Berti, who also played goalie in youth hockey leagues, began a 5-4-3 double play on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s hard smash to third clocked at 114 mph off the bat. Hoeing struck out Spencer Horwitz to end the inning.
“Ice hockey goalie, that’s what it felt like,” Berti said. “That’s one of the reasons I like third base. It kind of reminds me of my ice hockey goalie days. Everything is hit fast at you and you have to react. That’s kind of what I did there.”
ROSTER MOVES
The Blue Jays recalled C Tyler Heineman and RHP Trent Thornton from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned Bowden Francis to the same minor league club. Thornton relieved Berríos and threw two scoreless innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: C Alejandro Kirk (left hand laceration) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Kirk was hit by a pitch Sunday against Texas and the cut didn’t heal enough for a shorter absence.
Marlins: CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. (turf toe) worked out and the expectation is he will begin a rehab assignment later in the week.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays RHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-2, 4.31 ERA) starts the middle game of the series Tuesday against RHP Eury Pérez (4-1, 1.80).
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