Bargain Bour brings home the bacon for Marlins

National League

MARLINS 2, CUBS 1

CHICAGO -- Justin Bour just might be the best bargain in sports.

Drafted by the Cubs in the 25th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, Bour languished in Chicago's organization for five years before the Marlins pilfered him in the Class AAA phase of the Rule 5 Draft in 2013 for $12,500.

On Friday, Bour, picking up the power slack from sidelined slugger Giancarlo Stanton, homered in his fourth consecutive game to lift the suddenly resurgent Marlins to a 2-1 victory over the Cubs.

It was the Marlins' fourth consecutive victory, matching their longest winning streak of the season, last achieved on April 23-26. Bour, who homered in three consecutive games earlier this season, tied a franchise record accomplished seven other times, with Marcell Ozuna doing it most recently (Sept. 8-11, 2014).

"It just goes to show you if you play hard and you play the right way there's going to be a team out there who wants you," said Bour, 27, a rookie who makes the major league minimum $507,500. "A homer in any park is cool. I got nothing but positive things to say about the Cubs and their organization."

It's Bour's third game-winning home run the past three days, although not quite as dramatic as his three-run, walk-off blast in Wednesday's 6-5 victory over the Giants. The Marlins were bolstered by six strong innings from starter Tom Koehler (7-4) and Christian Yelich, who crushed a home run over the center-field ivy in the first inning.

"The league adjusted to [Bour], he's made the adjustment back," Marlins Manager Dan Jennings said. "It's fun to watch him right now, the zone that he's in. ... To think we were able to get him for $12,500 out of the Rule 5 is tremendous credit to our player development staff.

"That's three straight quality starts by [Koehler]. He's General Patton, blood and guts. He just comes out there and gives it to you every day, all he's got."

The Cubs answered immediately in the first when rookie phenom Kris Bryant smacked a two-out double to left and scored on Miguel Montero's sharp single to right. Bryant is the first rookie in Cubs' history with at least 10 home runs (10), 40 runs scored (42) and 40 RBI (43) by the end of June.

Cubs starter Jason Hammel (5-4) found his groove and retired 14 consecutive batters until Bour turned on a center-cut fastball in the sixth inning and drove it over the right-field seats for home run No. 10.

Koehler's breaking ball was sharp as he allowed 5 hits and 1 run while fanning 4 with 1 walk. In his last 3 starts, all victories, he's given up just 4 runs over 20 innings (1.80 ERA).

The Marlins threatened to break the game open in the eighth after Dee Gordon got his major-league leading 115th hit, and stole second and third. However, Cubs reliever Travis Wood fanned J.T. Realmuto with the bases loaded to keep it a one-run game.

Marlins relievers Steve Cishek, Sam Dyson and A.J. Ramos combined on three shutout innings.

NATIONALS 2, GIANTS 1 Clint Robinson, a 30-year-old non-roster invitee by Washington in spring training who had just 13 major league at-bats before this season, hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to give the Nationals a victory over visiting San Francisco. Robinson, playing first base in place of the injured Ryan Zimmerman, is 20 for 69 (.290) with four home runs and 12 RBI in his last 21 games. His home run off right-hander Jake Peavy (0-3) made a winner of left-hander Gio Gonzalez (6-4) who allowed a run and five hits in seven innings. Buster Posey had homered on Gonzalez's first pitch of the seventh inning to give San Francisco a 1-0 lead in the teams' first meeting since the Giants beat the Nationals in five games in the 2014 NLDS. Angel Pagan's single past Washington second baseman Danny Espinosa with one out in the sixth ended Gonzalez's streak of 10 consecutive outs. Two of the first three Nats got hits, but Peavy, who was activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, didn't allow another one until Robinson came through to extend the defending World Series champions' losing streak to four games. A crowd of 41,683, Washington's 10th sellout in 37 home games, watched newest Racing President Calvin Coolidge win his debut by knocking over fellow Republicans Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. Bryce Harper, who came in ranked in the top five in baseball in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, walked in each of his first three plate appearances before he was retired with two on in the eighth by rookie left-hander Josh Osich, who was called up from Class AAA Sacramento earlier Friday. Nats closer Drew Storen recorded his 24th save, second in the NL.

Sports on 07/04/2015

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