Miami Marlins vs Baltimore Orioles Box Score on Aug 04, 2020

Starter Pablo Lopez tossed five scoreless innings, Francisco Cervelli and Jesus Aguilar homered, and the Miami Marlins returned from an eight-day hiatus with a 4-0 shutout of the host Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

The game was Miami's first since July 26 after 21 members -- including 18 players -- tested positive for COVID-19 following a three-game series in Philadelphia to open the season.

Lopez (1-0) allowed just two hits, didn't issue a walk and matched his career high with seven strikeouts in his season debut. Relievers James Hoyt, Richard Bleier, Brad Boxberger and Brandon Kintzler tossed an inning each for the Marlins, who fanned a season-high 11.

Jon Berti went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run and a stolen base.

Top-rated Miami prospect Monte Harrison made his major league debut and went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. The center fielder recorded a sliding grab to rob Pedro Severino of a base hit.

Baltimore starter John Means (0-1) hurled 4 2/3 innings and allowed one run on two hits. He struck out four without a walk.

Austin Hays had a pair of hits and stole a base for the Orioles, who mustered just three hits. Baltimore had only four baserunners and lost for the first time in four games.

The first meeting between the teams -- a makeup of their game originally scheduled for July 29 in Miami -- was delayed 41 minutes due to more virus testing after a few Marlins had tests come up inconclusive. But all were retested, ruled negative and late getting to the park.

Means cruised into the fifth inning -- retiring 13 straight Marlins -- before making a two-out mistake. Cervelli smacked a 94 mph four-seam fastball on a 3-1 count for his first home run of the season and a 1-0 lead, chasing Means from the game.

Berti added to the lead in the sixth with an RBI single plating Jonathan Villar, who had singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch from reliever Travis Lakins.

Baltimore third baseman Renato Nunez made a fielding error with the bases full on a two-out grounder that stayed down instead of coming up after hitting the lip of the grass. The unearned run made it 3-0.

Aguilar got the green light on a 3-0 pitch from Thomas Eshelman for a long homer to left -- his third this season -- to push it to 4-0 in the eighth.

--Field Level Media