MIAMI -- The Montreal Expos did their best to sweep away the Florida Marlins' playoff hopes Wednesday.
"We've battled through a lot of adversity these past two or three weeks, this is just a little bump in the road," manager Jack McKeon said after Florida was swept by the Expos 6-2 and 10-4 to fall 3½ games behind San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.
"We just have to get this engine fired up again and click on all cylinders again," McKeon added.
Tony Batista and Val Pascucci hit three-run homers for the Expos in the second game.
The teams resumed their five-game series in Florida after the Marlins won the first two games at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Those games were moved because of the threat of Hurricane Ivan.
The Expos jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Nate Bump (2-4) in the first inning of the second game. Ryan Church, who hit his first career home run in the first game, had an RBI single before Pascucci hit his first career homer.
"Pascucci's ball was a hard-hit ball, and it cost us pretty big," Bump said. "After that, I knew we still had a chance with our offense and I tried to keep us in it."
Batista's three-run homer came during a five-run fourth, in which the Expos batted around and built a 9-3 lead. Montreal had 27 hits in the doubleheader to become the first team to sweep the Marlins in Florida.
"It's very satisfying to come back here and win a doubleheader," said Montreal's Jamey Carroll, who had four hits in the nightcap. "We have a lot of pride and still want to win as many games as possible."
Jon Rauch (2-0) pitched three scoreless innings in relief of starter Tomo Ohka, who pitched three innings in his first start since breaking his arm on June 10 against Kansas City.
Brendan Harris became the third Expos player to hit his first career homer Wednesday when he led off the eighth inning. The Elias Sports Bureau said it was the first time three teammates hit their first career homers on the same day since April 28, 1946, when New York Giants' Bill Rigney, Buddy Blattner and Jess Pike homered during a doubleheader against Brooklyn.
Notes
- Florida had been 4-0-6 in doubleheaders at Pro Player Stadium. It also was the first time the Marlins were swept overall since June 28, 2001, at Philadelphia.
- Church left the second game in the fourth inning due to muscle cramps.
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