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Montero leads Diamondbacks over Marlins

Jun 14, 2011 - 5:52 AM Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Miguel Montero hit three doubles and knocked in four runs and Zach Duke added a two-run homer as the Arizona Diamondbacks held off the Florida Marlins, 12-9, in the finale of a four-game series from Sun Life Stadium.

Juan Miranda added three RBI and Justin Upton knocked in a pair for the Diamondbacks, who closed the series with three consecutive wins.

"It was a good way to finish [the series]. It's nice to see us swing the bats," Upton said.

Arizona tagged Ricky Nolasco (4-2) for nine runs -- five earned -- on eight hits and four walks, chasing him after just three innings.

Duke didn't fair much better, allowing seven runs on 13 hits and a walk while striking out four in just 4 2/3 innings.

Micah Owings (3-0) spelled Duke and worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings, while J.J. Putz threw a perfect ninth to earn his 18th save of the season.

Omar Infante, Mike Stanton and John Buck each had two RBI for the Marlins, who rallied from a 9-0 deficit only to fall short. They have now lost 11 of 12.

Arizona got on the board early, pushing four across in the first behind an Upton RBI single and a Montero bases-clearing, three-run double to right- center.

The lead ballooned to 9-0 in the third. With Stephen Drew and Chris Young aboard, Montero struck again, doubling off the left field wall to score Drew and move Young to third. A Miranda groundout brought home Young and two batters later, Duke ripped the second home run of the season and his career over the right field wall. The hits kept coming, as Ryan Roberts followed with a single to left and later scored on an Upton single to center.

Nolasco helped himself with a one-out double in the third. After an Emilio Bonifacio single, both runners crossed the plate courtesy of an Infante double. A Logan Morrison groundout moved Infante to third and Stanton drove him home two batters later.

Burke Badenhop spelled Nolasco to begin the fourth, but he did not fair much better, surrendering a leadoff walk to Young, a double to Montero and a single to Miranda, which scored both Young and Montero. A Roberts single brought home Miranda, giving the Diamondbacks a 12-3 lead.

Badenhop, like Nolasco, helped himself in the fourth with a two-out double and scored on Bonifacio's double to left.

The Marlins continued to chip away in the fifth, pushing three across with a Stanton RBI double, and run scoring singles by Wes Helms and pinch-hitter Osvaldo Martinez.

In the seventh, Florida loaded the bases with no outs, but Owings was able to induce Chris Coghlan into a 1-2-3 double play and Brett Hayes into a fly out to end the inning unscathed.

The Marlins again loaded the bases in the eighth, this time pushing two across on a Buck grounder up the middle, which scored Bonifacio and Infante.

"It was good to see that from the offense. We came back and battled a little bit," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said.

Game Notes

The Diamondbacks are now just a half-game behind NL West leading San Francisco. The two clubs begin a three-game set from Arizona on Tuesday...Entering the game, the Diamondbacks' .588 slugging percentage against the Marlins this season was their highest against any opponent...The Marlins have allowed 26 runs over the final three games of the series...Duke joined Andy Benes, Owings and Dan Haren as Diamondbacks pitchers with multiple home runs.