Johnson pitches Marlins past Brewers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Josh Johnson and the Miami Marlins earned a split of a four-game series with a 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Johnson (8-11), coming off four straight losing decisions, gave up two runs on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in seven innings.
"He got the momentum going," Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He's had a great year."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Donovan Solano picked up three hits, scored a run and knocked in another as the Marlins won for the second time in their last eight games.
After winning his previous two decisions, Marco Estrada (2-6) took the loss after giving up four runs on seven hits in five innings.
Norichika Aoki scored and drove in a run for the Brewers, who had won nine of their last 11 games prior to the setback.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Estrada, who gave up four runs -- one earned -- over his previous three starts, surrendered three in the first to give the Marlins an early lead.
"I wasn't making my pitches," Estrada said. "Even when I did, they got hit. Any time you fall behind any good hitters, they're going to hit your good pitches."
Bryan Petersen crushed a leadoff double off the right-field fence to start the inning. He scored when Solano lined a single up the middle. Jose Reyes knocked in Solano when he sliced a double down the left-field line and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Greg Dobbs lined out to right field to score Reyes and give the Marlins a three-run lead.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Miami tacked on a fourth run in the second inning. Donnie Murphy led off with a double. Johnson followed with a ground ball to second base, which Rickie Weeks misplayed to allow Murphy to score.
"We worked hard to get after them there early on," Dobbs said. "We got some big hits with some runners in scoring position and put some runs on the board early. That helped us out and it helped (Johnson)."
The Brewers began chipping away at the Marlins' lead in the third inning. Aoki drove a leadoff triple into the right-field gap and scored on Ryan Braun's sacrifice fly.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Milwaukee scored again in the seventh, but could have had more. Jeff Bianchi walked to start the inning and moved to third on Jean Segura's base hit. After Segura stole second base, Travis Ishikawa struck out, Aoki lofted a sacrifice fly to left field and Weeks popped out to end the threat.
The Brewers put two runners on base with two outs in the eighth inning, but Heath Bell ended the rally by getting Bianchi to ground out.
The Marlins added some insurance runs in the eighth inning when Giancarlo Stanton and Dobbs delivered back-to-back doubles. Dobbs later scored on a Murphy single to give the Marlins a 6-2 lead.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Steve Cishek pitched a scoreless ninth, working around a one-out single, to seal the victory.
Game Notes
Milwaukee is 26-42 on the road ... The Marlins finished 4-4 against the Brewers in 2012 ... Estrada is 0-2 with a 7.80 earned run average in seven career games -- three starts -- against Miami ... Milwaukee went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight ... Miami went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left six on base.