MILWAUKEE -- For the first time, the Marlins hit Yovani Gallardo hard, far and often, and crept one game closer in their late-season push for a playoff spot with a 6-4 victory over the freefalling Brewers on Monday night.Marcell Ozuna, Garrett Jones and Giancarlo Stanton each homered off Gallardo, who was rocked for six runs -- five earned -- on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings. In seven previous starts against the Marlins, Gallardo went 5-0 with 1.12 ERA, including 2-0 last season, when Miami did not score against him in 14 1/3 innings. 
In taking the opener of the four-game series, the Marlins moved within three games of the Brewers and Braves, the two teams immediately ahead of them in the National League Wild Card chase. (The Braves lost to the Nationals, 2-1, on Monday night.)The Brewers, who were 19 games above .500 at one point and led the NL Central for 150 consecutive days, have lost 12 of their last 13.The Marlins, just 4-14 at Miller Park since 2009, erased a one-run deficit by scoring three runs in the second. Ozuna opened with his 20th home run, a monster shot halfway up the scoreboard in straightaway center. Jones followed with his 14th homer, which went over the left-field wall. After Gallardo fanned Jarrod Saltalamacchia to become the Brewers' all-time leader in strikeouts, with 1,207, Adeiny Hechavarria singled, advanced on Brad Penny's sacrifice bunt and scored on Christian Yelich's single to center.Stanton opened the third with his 37th homer, tying his previous season high, set in 2012. It was also the 154th of his career, tying Dan Uggla for the Marlins' all-time lead. Jones doubled in another run to make it 6-2.Miami missed an opportunity to add on in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs, but Milwaukee reliever Marco Estrada struck out Ozuna to end the threat. Estrada prevented the Marlins from extending their lead with a 4 1/3 scoreless innings.While Gallardo was unraveling, Penny was overcoming a rocky start with the help of three double plays and battled through six innings, his longest start since being called up from Triple-A New Orleans on Aug. 9.Penny, making his first start against the Brewers since 2008, was staked to a one-run lead in the first on an RBI single by Casey McGehee, but the Brewers answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Scooter Gennett and a run-scoring groundout by Jonathan Lucroy.The Brewers added two runs in the eighth off A.J. Ramos on an RBI double by Carlos Gomez and a run-scoring infield single by Lucroy.Jim Hoehn / Special to MLB.com
In taking the opener of the four-game series, the Marlins moved within three games of the Brewers and Braves, the two teams immediately ahead of them in the National League Wild Card chase. (The Braves lost to the Nationals, 2-1, on Monday night.)The Brewers, who were 19 games above .500 at one point and led the NL Central for 150 consecutive days, have lost 12 of their last 13.The Marlins, just 4-14 at Miller Park since 2009, erased a one-run deficit by scoring three runs in the second. Ozuna opened with his 20th home run, a monster shot halfway up the scoreboard in straightaway center. Jones followed with his 14th homer, which went over the left-field wall. After Gallardo fanned Jarrod Saltalamacchia to become the Brewers' all-time leader in strikeouts, with 1,207, Adeiny Hechavarria singled, advanced on Brad Penny's sacrifice bunt and scored on Christian Yelich's single to center.Stanton opened the third with his 37th homer, tying his previous season high, set in 2012. It was also the 154th of his career, tying Dan Uggla for the Marlins' all-time lead. Jones doubled in another run to make it 6-2.Miami missed an opportunity to add on in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs, but Milwaukee reliever Marco Estrada struck out Ozuna to end the threat. Estrada prevented the Marlins from extending their lead with a 4 1/3 scoreless innings.While Gallardo was unraveling, Penny was overcoming a rocky start with the help of three double plays and battled through six innings, his longest start since being called up from Triple-A New Orleans on Aug. 9.Penny, making his first start against the Brewers since 2008, was staked to a one-run lead in the first on an RBI single by Casey McGehee, but the Brewers answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Scooter Gennett and a run-scoring groundout by Jonathan Lucroy.The Brewers added two runs in the eighth off A.J. Ramos on an RBI double by Carlos Gomez and a run-scoring infield single by Lucroy.Jim Hoehn / Special to MLB.com
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