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Marlins sweep Rays, sending them to 10th straight defeat

Jun 6, 2014 - 5:14 AM St. Petersburg, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Marcell Ozuna collected three hits, including a two-run homer, with four RBI and three runs scored, and the Miami Marlins completed a four-game home-and-home Citrus series sweep of Tampa Bay and sent the Rays to their 10th consecutive loss with an 11-6 decision at Tropicana Field.

Casey McGehee finished 4-for-5 and four runs scored. J.T. Realmuto had two hits and three RBI in his major league debut and Giancarlo Stanton blasted a two-run home run for the Marlins, who moved into first place in the NL East with the win.

"Our offense today just kept the pressure on and we got to a couple of their good guys and put some at-bats together," said Miami manager Mike Redmond.

Jacob Turner (2-3) yielded five runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings to earn just his second win in his last 20 starts.

Jake Odorizzi (2-6), who has only one victory in his last 11 starts since winning his season debut, surrendered four runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts in five-plus innings to absorb the loss.

Ben Zobrist and Kevin Kiermaier each recorded a solo homer, while Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings collected two hits and an RBI for the Rays, who dropped 10 in a row for the first time since an 11-game skid from September 3-13, 2009.

"We're not a bad team, we're really not," said Joyce. "We have some great players here, but it just seems like we have not been on the same page."

David DeJesus singled and Zobrist walked to start the bottom of the first. Evan Longoria grounded into a force to put runners on the corners. James Loney's sac fly to center gave the Rays an early 1-0 lead.

With runners on the corners in the fourth, Ozuna ripped a single to right to score McGehee. Justin Bour then beat out an infield single, his first major league hit, to load the bases. Realmuto followed with his first big league hit, a two-run single up the middle to make it 3-1 Marlins.

Kiermaier led off the fifth with a home run to right and two batters later Zobrist connected on his own solo shot to tie the game at 3-3.

McGehee's leadoff double in the sixth ended Odorizzi's day. Jake McGee had retired 21 straight out of the bullpen before surrendering a single to Garrett Jones. Ozuna roped one to center to make it 4-3. Realmuto connected on an RBI base hit and Adeiny Hechavarria grounded into a force out to increase the cushion to three.

Joyce drove in Jennings, who led off with a single, by smacking a triple off the right-field wall in the home half. Dan Jennings replaced Turner with one out but walked the only batter he faced.

Pinch-hitter Jerry Sands welcomed Chris Hatcher to the mound with an RBI base hit to left that cut the deficit to 6-5. It snapped the Rays 0-for-34 streak with runners in scoring position.

Stanton crushed a two-run shot into the left-field seats off Brad Boxberger that made it 8-5 Miami. Bour's base hit to right plated McGehee, increasing the advantage to four.

Longoria and Jennings doubled, respectively, in the seventh off Hatcher to pull the Rays within three.

Ozuna launched a two-run blast in the ninth that accounted for the final 11-6 margin.

Game Notes

The Rays, at 23-38, have the worst record in the majors ... Bour and Realmuto became first two position players to get first major league hits in consecutive plate appearances since Cleveland's Joe Inglett and Ryan Garko did it on July 1, 2006, ... Tampa Bay was 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position ... Marlins manager Mike Redmond was ejected by first base umpire Bill Miller in the seventh ... Stanton leads the NL with 17 homers and 53 RBI ... Miami selected pitcher Tyler Kolek from Shepherd HS (Texas) with second overall pick in Thursday's draft ... The Marlins' 17 hits tied a season-high.