Marlins Crush Rays 5-1: Lopez and Hicks Shine

In a thrilling matchup on Sunday, the Miami Marlins took down the Tampa Bay Rays with a solid 5-1 victory, thanks to Otto Lopez's impressive three-run homer in his return from the injured list. Liam Hicks also joined the party, adding a two-run shot that really sealed the deal for Miami.

Cal Quantrill was on fire, pitching five innings and allowing just one run on two hits while striking out six. This win marked a nice turnaround for the Marlins, who improved to 12-13 at home and snagged their first series victory since they took two out of three against Cincinnati back in late April.

Lopez, who had been sidelined with a sprained ankle since May 3, made a splash in the third inning. After Matt Mervis kicked things off with a double and Eric Wagaman got a single, Lopez stepped up and sent a bomb over the fence, putting Miami ahead. Hicks followed suit in the sixth, launching a two-run homer off Rays starter Shane Baz, who had a rough outing.

Speaking of Baz, he struggled, giving up five runs and nine hits over six innings. This month hasn’t been kind to him, as he’s allowed 21 runs and 30 hits in just four starts, totaling 18 2/3 innings. Ouch.

On the other side, the Rays did get on the board first. Taylor Wells led off the third with a walk, swiped second, and then scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Yandy Díaz that Lopez couldn’t handle at second base. But that was pretty much it for Tampa Bay, as Miami's bullpen, featuring Ronny Henriquez, Jesus Tinoco, Calvin Faucher, and Anthony Bender, shut them down for the rest of the game.

Looking ahead, the Rays are set to start RHP Ryan Pepiot (2-5, 3.93) on Monday as they kick off a nine-game homestand against Houston. Meanwhile, the Marlins will have RHP Edward Cabrera (0-1, 5.52) on the mound for their three-game series opener against the Cubs. Should be interesting!