Stanton, Conley lift Marlins past Rangers, Perez

Giancarlo Stanton swatted two home runs Monday, including a two-run shot in the first inning off Martin Perez, and the Texas Rangers’ offense never delivered a timely hit in a 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins.

The loss snapped the Rangers three-game winning streak and knocked them three games below .500, but they remained only 2 1/2 games out in the wild-card standings with only five games left until the July 31 trade deadline. Marlins left-hander Adam Conley and two relievers scattered eight hits.

Perez posted a quality start, allowing three runs in seven innings. Miami collected four hits against him in the first but then none until a one-out single and double in the sixth to make it 3-0.　

How Rangers hitters fared: Adrian Beltre took a chunk out of his deficit to 3,000 career hits, but no Rangers players crossed home plate. ... Beltre singled four times, giving him 2,993 hits. ... The Rangers managed only four more hits, three of them singles. ... A close play at second base in the third stunted a potential rally as the call stood after review after Shin-Soo Choo was thrown out at second base trying to stretch a single into a double. Replays were inconclusive. ... Had he been safe, the Rangers would have had runners at second and third with one out. ... Delino DeShields tripled off the left-field wall in the fifth with two outs, but was stranded as Carlos Gomez struck out.　

How Rangers pitchers fared: Martin Perez was dogged by a sluggish start, but he rebounded to post a quality outing. ... The left-hander allowed a two-run homer in the first inning to Giancarlo Stanton and two more hits before rattling off four straight hitless innings. ... Miami broke through in the sixth with a single and a double with one out for a 3-0 lead. ... Stanton greeted Jeremy Jeffress with a homer to start the eighth. ... Jeffress’ opponents batting average of .319 is fifth-highest in the American League.

This story was originally published July 24, 2017 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Stanton, Conley lift Marlins past Rangers, Perez."