Hernandez Lifts Marlins to Win

Florida’s Livan Hernandez pitched a five-hitter for his seventh complete game, breaking Kevin Brown’s club record, and the Marlins handed Brown his first loss since May 21 with a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night.

Brown (14-4) was trying to win his 12th consecutive decision, which would have set the Padres’ record.

Hernandez (10-8) pitched his second complete game in three starts. He gave up two runs, struck out six and walked four.

Hernandez, the World Series most valuable player, and Brown, who pitched a no-hitter for Florida last year, also matched up on May 1 in Miami, with neither getting a decision in the Marlins’ 6-5 victory.

The Marlins scored three runs, two earned, on six hits off Brown in seven innings. Brown struck out seven and walked three.

Florida scored only one run in the first inning despite two San Diego errors, a passed ball, a hit batsman and a single. The Padres, who had been tied with Atlanta for the fewest errors in the National League, committed three errors for the first time this season.

The Marlins added two in the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. Cliff Floyd and Ryan Jackson singled and advanced on Kevin Orie’s bunt. Gregg Zaun singled in Floyd, and Jackson scored on Luis Castillo’s groundout.

The Marlins led, 1-0, after groundballs by the first three batters. Todd Dunwoody hit a leadoff single to center, Edgar Renteria’s grounder rolled through first baseman Wally Joyner’s legs for an error and Mark Kotsay’s grounder scored Dunwoody. Joyner fielded Kotsay’s ball and flipped it to shortstop Chris Gomez for the force at second, but Gomez dropped it for an error.

Brown struck out the next two batters, hit Orie, then struck out Zaun.

San Diego tied the score in the fourth when Chris Gomez’s fly ball off the end of his bat fell into shallow center for a single, scoring Mark Sweeney, who had doubled.