Recap: Florida vs. Baltimore

Sports Network | June 25, 2009

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five total runs batted in, as the Florida Marlins completed a three-game sweep of Baltimore with an 11-3 victory.

Rookie Sean West (3-2) tossed six shutout innings to get the win. He gave up four hits, walked three and struck out two, helping the Marlins win their fifth consecutive game.

Cody Ross and Dan Uggla each hit a two-run homer and had two hits for the Marlins, while Jorge Cantu finished 3-for-5 with an RBI.

Nick Markakis had four hits, an RBI and walked once for the Orioles, whose three-game losing streak comes on the heels of five straight victories.

Rich Hill (3-2) took the loss after giving up six runs in 4 1/3 frames, in which he surrendered eight hits, walked one and fanned six.

The Marlins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on Ross' 13th homer of the season, then expanded their lead with a three-run third. Chris Coghlan led off with a double and went home two batters later on a Ramirez single. Uggla later hit a two-run shot to make it a 5-0 game. Back-to-back one-out doubles from Ramirez and Cantu in the fifth upped Florida's lead to six and chased Hill from the game.

Mark Hendrickson entered and got out of the jam, then pitched a scoreless sixth.

However, the Marlins struck for five more runs in the eighth off Baltimore reliever Chris Ray to turn the contest into a blowout. Three consecutive singles from Ronny Paulino, Ross and Brett Carroll loaded the bases to get the rally started. Pinch-hitter Ross Gload then struck out, and Coghlan's ground ball resulted in a force out at home. But Emilio Bonifacio singled home a run, then Ramirez provided the big blow by homering to left field for the grand slam.

This was the third grand slam in Ramirez's career, with all of them coming this season.

Ray was removed at that point for Brian Bass, who closed the inning without further damage.

Tim Wood had followed West on the mound for the Marlins and tossed two scoreless frames. The shutout was ruined in the top of the ninth, when Gregg Zaun hit a two-run double off Christopher Leroux with one out, and Markakis followed with an RBI ground-rule double. But with a sizeable lead, Leroux stayed in and recorded the final two outs to end the game.

Florida closed a six-game homestand with a 5-1 record, and next plays the Rays in a three-game road series, beginning Friday...Baltimore ended a six-game road trip with a 3-3 mark, and begins a three-game set with Washington on Friday...The Marlins went 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded six runners...Florida's longest win streak of the season came from April 12-19, when the Marlins won seven in a row.