Allgemeines » podium finishes at the

MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins proved they can win the close ones, too. After scoring 18 runs in their last two wins, the Marlins found that winning a tight game can be just as enjoyable. Giancarlo Stanton and Casey McGehee hit consecutive run-scoring singles off David Carpenter during a two-run rally in the seventh inning that led the Marlins to a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night and a three-game sweep of the NL East leader. "Honestly, I like wins, I dont care how we get them," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "9-0 is fun, but a game like tonight, 5-4, where youre putting guys in some situations they havent been in and see how they respond, thats fun too." Miami has won six straight home games for the first time at Marlins Park, which opened in 2012. It is the longest home winning streak for the team since the Marlins won eight in a row from June 20 to July 1, 2009. With the Marlins trailing 4-3, pinch-hitter Reed Johnson singled off Ian Thomas (1-1) leading off the seventh and took second on Christian Yelichs single. Derek Dietrich lined out, and Carpenter relieved and gave up the back-to-back hits. "Weve done a really good job in putting ourselves in situations to have a chance late in games," McGehee said. "Fortunately, tonight we were able to get some hits that were big." Mike Dunn (3-3) pitched a hitless seventh, and Steve Cishek got four outs for his sixth save in seven chances to complete the Marlins first series sweep of Atlanta since 2009. Cishek relieved with two on and two outs in the eighth, walked Andrelton Simmons, then struck out pinch-hitter Ramiro Pena and pitched a perfect ninth. The Marlins bullpen allowed one hit in three shutout innings. Cishek admitted being a bit nervous between the eighth and ninth innings. "I was pacing around the dugout," he said. "I wanted the offence to get more runs, of course, but I was just trying to stay focused and stay sharp mentally and make sure I was ready to get back out there and get the job done." The Marlins swept Atlanta at home for the first time since June 13-15, 2006. "Its huge for us," Redmond said. "These guys keep battling and keep pushing forward and moving on and really picking each other up playing with a lot of energy out there." Garrett Jones had a home run for the Marlins. Evan Gattis and B.J. Upton homered for the Braves. Marlins starter Henderson Alvarez allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings, giving up multiple homers in a game for the first time since Sept. 24, 2012. Atlanta starter Ervin Santana gave up three runs and five hits in six innings. The last time the Braves lost three straight was Sept. 15-17, 2013. "The way they scored in the seventh inning, they got a couple balls to drop and they got some ground balls that got through the infield off of Carpenter," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We had some opportunities. Now we take a flight home and stop this losing streak." Miami led 2-0 in the third when Justin Heyward, batting with one on, grounded softly to Jones at first, who tossed to Alvarez covering the base. Heyward was initially called out by first base umpire Jim Reynolds, but the call was reversed by the review umpire in New York when a replay showed Alvarez missed the bag and the tag. Upton followed with a three-run homer. Adeiny Hechavarria hit an RBI grounder in the fourth, but Gattis homer put Atlanta back ahead in the sixth. NOTES: Upton has hit safely in 15 of the last 18 games in which he has had an at-bat. ... Braves RHP Gavin Floyd is expected to be activated by Sunday and initially pitch out of the bullpen. . McGehee got his 300th RBI in the first inning. ... The Marlins finished April with an 11-4 home record, a 2.40 home ERA and a .307 home batting average. They ranked first in the majors in home wins. ... The Marlins nine-game homestand continues Friday with the opener of a weekend set against the Los Angeles Dodgers. ... Atlanta returns home Friday to play a weekend series against San Francisco. BARCELONA, Spain - Mercedes rivals hope a busy three weeks of tinkering on their slower cars and the move to European tracks will be enough to at least threaten Lewis Hamiltons and Nico Rosbergs stranglehold on Formula One. The Mercedes pair head into Sundays Spanish Grand Prix after sweeping the first four races in impressive style, with the most compelling driving coming between the teammates while the pack puttered away in the distance. The switch to V6 turbo hybrid engines has dislodged Red Bull as F1s dominant team after four seasons, and Mercedes was also dealing far better than the rest with the new powertrain and other rule changes. Hamilton has led a Mercedes one-two finish with Rosberg in the last three races after the German won the season opener. The silver-and-teal duo have also taken all four pole positions, and set the fastest lap at each grand prix. "We are now four races into the 2014 season and hold a strong position in both championships," Mercedes team executive director Toto Wolff said. "However, the first European round of the year always provides a prime opportunity for teams to arrive with improvements to their cars. Of course, we are no different to any other team in that respect and our aim must be to increase the advantage we enjoyed at the last race in China." Neither Hamilton nor Rosberg has yet to win at the Circuit de Catalunya, although they did take the top two positions in qualifying here last year. Rosberg, who has a four-point lead over Hamilton in the championship, said that after years of racing and preseason tests at Barcelona "there is probably no other track in the world" that he knows better. "I also have some good memories of race weekends in Barcelona," Rosberg said. "Last year (...) I started from pole position so Im looking forward to going back there again, and maybe repeating that particular feat. Each team will have been pushing hard during the break to find some extra performance from new parts. So it will certainly be an interesting weekend.dddddddddddd." Red Bull will be counting on making strides after a dismal start to Sebastian Vettels title defence. Vettel has yet to finish better than third place, and has twice been ordered by his team to let new teammate Daniel Ricciardo pass him for higher finishes in the last two races. Vettel said a lot would depend on doing well in Saturdays qualifying because the track design offers few chances to challenge front-runners. The Montmelo circuit features one long straightaway before the first corner, which is considered the best for overtaking. It is also known to be tough on tires. Paul Hembery, the director of tire provider Pirelli, said that despite the tracks abrasive surface and high temperatures they expected teams to need only three pit stops instead of four as they have made in the past. Ferraris Fernando Alonso proved last season that wise tire management and smooth pit stops can be enough to compensate for a lack of overall speed. Alonso enters the race in a distant third place, with 41 points to Rosbergs 79 and Hamiltons 75, but after managing to finally reach the podium at Shanghai in Ferraris first race under new team principal Marco Mattiacci. The two-time former world champion has a strong record in front of his home fans, with wins here both last year and in 2006 to give him seven career podium finishes at the Spanish GP. His victory one year ago was Ferraris last as a team. With Alonso and teammate Kimi Raikkonen far behind the pacesetters, the Italian team will need a near perfect weekend to break its poor run. "With Fernando weve seen an extraordinary level of performance, scavenging every possible point at every possible opportunity," Ferrari technical director James Allison said. "We are learning how to get performance out of this new set of regulations, and hopefully to make this car more competitive. The key to a successful season is to keep improving your car at every race." ' ' '