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Ross homer leads Marlins over Diamondbacks

Aug 23, 2008 - 5:47 AM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Not even a blown home run call could keep the Florida Marlins from the win column on Friday.

Josh Willingham's eighth-inning fly ball was ruled a triple despite replays showing it was a home run. Fortunately for the Marlins, Wes Helms brought Willingham home with a sacrifice fly and Cody Ross followed with a no-doubt homer to propel them over the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-4.

With the Marlins trailing 4-3 after seven innings, Willingham led off against Jon Rauch with a deep drive to left. Replays showed the ball hit a railing above the fence in left field, but the umpires ruled it a triple. After a line-drive out by Dan Uggla, Wes Helms drove in Willingham.

Ross then hit the first pitch he saw from Rauch (4-4) deep into the left field seats to put the Marlins ahead.

"It was a slider. Rauch has a really good slider," Ross said. "In that situation, I was just trying to get the bat on the ball because I have had some problems with him in the past."

"There is no consolation if I keep blowing ball games," Rauch said. "I have to get something right and go out and do my job. That's the most frustrating thing. If I could put my finger on something, I could go out there and fix it but right now I am at a loss."

Arizona had taken a 2-0 lead in the second off Anibal Sanchez on an RBI double by Miguel Montero, who came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Stephen Drew.

The Marlins touched up Randy Johnson for a pair of runs to tie the game as Ross drove an RBI double to left in the fourth and Jorge Cantu lifted a sac fly in the fifth.

The Diamondbacks wasted another stellar start by Johnson. He allowed three runs, two earned, and six hits in seven innings. His 13 strikeouts were his most since he fanned 15 over eight innings in August 2004.

"He pitched great. Good fastball, good slider, it was vintage Randy," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "He pitched well enough to win. He pitches quite a few games like that where we don't score a whole lot of runs. We did come back and had a lead but couldn't put it away."

Florida took a 3-2 lead in the seventh on an RBI single by Paul Lo Duca, but Sanchez surrendered two runs in the bottom half to give Arizona the lead back.

The righthander allowed four runs, eight hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

Drew drove in a run with a single and Chris Young bounced Sanchez from the game with a run-scoring double.

Arthur Rhodes (3-1) came on with runners on second and third and one out. The veteran lefty struck out Adam Dunn and got Chad Tracy to fly out, ending the threat.

"Rhodes did a terrific job getting those two lefthanders. Those were two big outs," Marlins manager Freddie Gonzalez said.

"It was kind of like one of those we needed to win games," Ross said.

Matt Lindstrom pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Kevin Gregg threw a perfect ninth for his 28th save.