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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MIAMI (AP) -- Todd Stottlemyre returned to his early season form
and is ready for a postseason run.
Now if only the Arizona Diamondbacks can get to the playoffs.
Stottlemyre gave up five hits in 7 1-3 innings Saturday night as
Arizona beat the Florida Marlins 4-1 and tightened the NL wild-card
race.
The Diamondbacks, who won for only the sixth time in 17 games,
are 3½ games behind the Mets, who lost to Philadelphia 6-3.
"We are going to have the opportunity to determine our fate,"
Stottlemyre said. "We're going to be able to take care of the
teams that are ahead of us."
The Marlins, who have scored just two runs in the last 20
innings, lost their fifth in a row.
Greg Colbrunn hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning and
Steve Finley followed with his career-high 35th home run.
Stottlemyre, making his second start since a 10-week layoff with
tendinitis in his right elbow, struck out four and did not walk
anyone.
"It's been a long time," Stottlemyre said. "When you're
sitting on the DL you don't want to just get back. You want to get
back and contribute. It was fun tonight. It's been a long time
since I've had fun."
Stottlemyre (9-5), who won seven of his first eight starts this
year, retired 17 of the first 20 batters he faced.
"It wasn't him," Florida's Preston Wilson said. "We just
didn't hit. I didn't hit, nobody hit."
Stottlemyre allowed just three hits before giving up a home run
to Cliff Floyd to lead off the seventh inning, but that was enough
for the Marlins to tie it at 1. But they needed to score more.
"We have good enough pitching and good enough defense. It's the
run production," Marlins manager John Boles said. "That for me is
the last piece of the puzzle. We'll keep working on it."
Matt Mantei pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 15
opportunities.
A.J. Burnett (2-5) gave up nine hits and four earned runs in
eight innings.
Last week at Arizona, Stottlemyre pitched 4 2-3 innings in the
Diamondbacks' 10-5 win over Burnett and the Marlins.
"He was really a lot better than the first time we faced him,"
Boles said of Stottlemyre. "He's a competitor. You just love him,
his makeup, his tenacity. He'll do anything to try to beat you."
Tony Womack and Finley each had two hits for Arizona.
Womack doubled to lead off the third, moved to third on Jay
Bell's single and scored on a double play to give to Diamondbacks a
1-0 lead.
Womack also started Arizona's three-run eighth inning with a
walk. He later scored on Colbrunn's single, and Finley hit a drive
that barely cleared the fence and Mark Kotsay's outstretched glove
in right field.
That was enough cushion for Stottlemyre and the bullpen.
"He was outstanding tonight," Arizona manager Buck Showalter
said. "That was as good as the guy can pitch."
Game notes
With Floyd's home run, the Marlins have four players with
20 or more this season. Wilson has 25, Derrek Lee has 24 and Mike
Lowell has 22. ... Marlins OF Henry Rodriguez was scratched from
the lineup following batting practice. He felt tightness in his
left hamstring, but still pinch-hit in the eighth inning. He flied
out. ... Wilson stuck out once, giving him 171 this season and
leaving him 18 shy of Bobby Bonds record set in 1970.
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Baseball Scoreboard
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RECAPS
NY Yankees 5
Boston 3
Cleveland 9
Chi. White Sox 3
Oakland 10
Tampa Bay 0
Toronto 6
Detroit 5
Baltimore 10
Anaheim 3
Texas 6
Kansas City 5
Seattle 7
Minnesota 2
Colorado 7
Los Angeles 6
Houston 14
Chicago Cubs 4
San Diego 7
San Francisco 3
Arizona 4
Florida 1
Cincinnati 6
Pittsburgh 4
Montreal 7
Atlanta 5
Philadelphia 6
NY Mets 3
St. Louis 7
Milwaukee 6
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