MIAMI — The Orioles received a subpar performance from starter Ubaldo Jimenez, made a key defensive lapse early on and needed an error on a rare two-strike bunt to jumpstart the offense Friday night.
And still they won 8-5 in their first appearance in club history at Marlins Park.
Fortunately for the Orioles, the 4-year-old stadium is the home of the suddenly hapless Miami Marlins, who have dropped eight straight and have yet to win in five games for new manager Dan Jennings.
The Orioles (19-20) again weren't crisp, but they have won four of their past five. On Friday night, they couldn't score until the fifth inning but sent nine batters to the plate in a four-run sixth, helping give rookie Tyler Wilson his first major league victory in his second big league appearance.
The teams combined for 25 hits and stranded a combined 22 runners in a game that lasted 3 hours, 22 minutes.
"Every win in the big leagues is huge, but especially when you have those kind of long games when you're mentally in it for a long time, and there's a lot of pitching changes, a lot of matchups played," said Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph, who had three of the club's 11 hits. "Our team is built for that. We like to think that we're mentally tough and it shows in these type of games."
Playing before an announced 19,977 — a crowd that appeared to be much smaller and included a vocal presence from Orioles fans — the Orioles trudged along until the sixth, when Marlins starter Henderson Alvarez unraveled.
Holding on to a one-run lead, Alvarez (0-4) allowed consecutive walks on 10 pitches to start the inning. He threw three more balls to J.J. Hardy, who then squared to bunt the next two pitches. With a full count, Hardy attempted to bunt again, and he tapped one back to Alvarez, who threw wildly past third base. Chris Davis scored to tie the game at 3.
"He did that on his own, and he's probably one of, if not our best bunters," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He'll tell you that they might have had a play at third, but it put a little pressure on them there. There's no guy more team-first than J.J."
Two batters later, Joseph hit a two-run single to give the Orioles a lead they didn't relinquish. Jimmy Paredes added a RBI single in the sixth — one of his three hits — which gave him enough plate appearances to qualify for the American League batting race for the first time this season. Paredes' .353 average puts him second behind only former Oriole Nelson Cruz, who is hitting .354 for the Seattle Mariners.
"That's great because you know what he's been doing since last year, it's not only this year," Jimenez said about Paredes. "He takes every at-bat like it's his last and that is paying off."
The Orioles scored twice more in the eighth on a two-run double by Miami native Manny Machado to pull away from the Marlins (16-27), who haven't won since May 13. The Orioles are just one game under .500 for the first time since May 6.
Back then, Wilson was in the minors. But the former University of Virginia pitcher was recalled Monday, made his major league debut Wednesday and picked up his first win Friday by allowing one run in one-plus innings. Tommy Hunter preserved Wilson's victory by entering in the sixth with two runners on and no outs. Two comebackers and a flyout kept the Marlins off the board.
"It's awesome," Wilson said. "It was great to get out there and obviously get a win, but I think I was just a benefactor of Tommy Hunter coming in and then pitching exceptionally well, honestly. Just being in the right place at the right time."
Wilson also got his first major league strikeout, and it came against future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
"That was definitely pretty cool," Wilson said. "Ichiro was one of my little brother's favorite players growing up, so it was kind of a cool connection there."
It's possible, however, that Wilson will head back down to Triple-A as soon as Saturday. Showalter said the club is considering adding a fresh arm for the bullpen, and Wilson would be the most likely candidate to be demoted because he has minor league options and pitched Friday.
Miami made it a save situation in the ninth when Justin Bour homered against Brad Brach. Zach Britton earned his 10th save by getting one out on three pitches with a runner on second.
Jimenez was lucky to escape the night with limited damage considering he gave up seven hits — all singles — in the first three innings.
The Marlins scored immediately when Dee Gordon, the majors' leading hitter, singled to lead off the bottom of the first. He stole second and third base — his jump was so good to third that Joseph had no play — and then scored on a single by Giancarlo Stanton. Gordon ended up with four stolen bases Friday, tying his personal high and the Marlins' single-game record.
Jimenez allowed three consecutive singles to begin the second, including an RBI hit to his counterpart, Alvarez, who was placed on the disabled list after the game with right shoulder inflammation. The Marlins picked up their third run when Paredes, who was at second base because the Orioles were without a designated hitter in a National League park, made a bad fielding decision.
Marcell Ozuna hit a grounder to Paredes, and instead of going to first for the sure out, Paredes threw home but failed to get Adeiny Hechavarria sliding to the plate.
Jimenez lasted just four innings, tying his second-shortest outing of the season. He allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk, but wasn't fazed by the results.
"I just worry about making good pitches. I made some good pitches and they find a way to get on base," Jimenez said. "They hit the ball a couple times hard, but some of the other times they just find the hole. There's nothing you can do about that."
Showalter said he wasn't worried about Jimenez's hiccup Friday on what has been a resurgent season for the right-hander.
"I think he had a little bump there. He has been pitching at a very high level," Showalter said. "I don't get any 'uh oh' out of today. I think he is OK."
Meanwhile, Alvarez faced the minimum nine batters in the first three innings, allowing only a single by Paredes in the first before inducing an inning-ending double play.
By the fifth, the Orioles had scratched within one run on a groundout by Machado and a pinch-hit RBI double by Delmon Young, who batted for Jimenez. After going 10-for-20 as a pinch hitter last season, Young is 3-for-5 in that role this year.
The Orioles then piled on Alvarez and the sinking Marlins in the sixth. The Orioles have won just two of 13 road games all time against the Marlins.
twitter.com/danconnollysun