'Super grateful': Stanford alum Stowers delivers for Marlins in front of family

SAN FRANCISCO -- Regardless of his status as a member of the visiting team, Kyle Stowers had plenty of familiarity on his side this weekend at Oracle Park.

With his family in the stands as the El Cajon native played in his home state of California for the first time as a big leaguer -- and a little more than 30 miles north of where he played collegiately at Stanford -- Stowers continued to gain momentum at the plate as the Marlins wrapped a winning road trip.

Stowers hit a towering three-run homer in the fifth inning to help his team come back from an early deficit in Sunday's 7-5 win, which clinched Miami's first series win since July 26-28 at Milwaukee.

"Awesome that they were here for it," Stowers said of his family. "Really, really special for me and for them. I'm super grateful for their support and that they were able to make it."

After a slow start since being dealt to the Marlins at the Trade Deadline, Stowers is hitting .393 with a 1.183 OPS during a seven-game hitting streak dating back to Aug. 25. His team has gone 5-2 in those games, excluding Friday's loss when Stowers entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning but did not get a plate appearance.

"He's got power," manager Skip Schumaker said. "He's had a nice road trip, honestly. Really good games in Colorado, some really good swings here -- again, against really tough pitching."

Starting in the leadoff position for the first time in the Majors, Stowers went hitless in his first two at-bats before launching his second homer with Miami a Statcast-projected 439 feet to the deepest part of Oracle Park.

The blast helped his club put up a crooked number with a four-run top of the fifth, only for San Francisco to respond with three runs in the bottom of the frame to reclaim the lead.

But the Marlins wasted no time in getting back on top. Jesús Sánchez led off the sixth with a single, stole second and came home on Jonah Bride's RBI double. Two batters later, Bride crossed the plate as the go-ahead run on an Otto Lopez groundout.

The Marlins scored six runs, all earned, against Logan Webb -- the second-highest tally the Giants' ace has allowed this season. Webb set his first eight batters down in order until Nick Fortes broke through with a single in the third as part of a 3-for-4 day, also getting Miami's fifth-inning rally started with an RBI single ahead of Stowers' blast.

"To respond after kind of getting punched in the mouth is what the game's all about," Schumaker said, "and we did that really well today."

The Marlins' immediate response against Webb in the sixth was key because the Giants' bullpen was stingy during the three-game series, combining to allow three earned runs in nine innings. Stowers has added familiarity with some of the arms at San Francisco's disposal, as he played alongside two members of the opposing pitching staff while at Stanford: Erik Miller and Tristan Beck.

Miller tossed a pair of scoreless innings against Miami in the latter two games of the series, while Beck was activated from the injured list for the first time this season on Sunday. Stowers did not get to step in against either of his former teammates, but the reunion had him feeling a little Cardinal pride.

"I got to catch up with Tristan and Erik ..." Stowers said. "Just super proud of them. Great guys, great pitchers. … Seeing all the Stanford guys [is] just really cool. I'm really proud of all of us for still doing it, still playing, and I wish nothing but the best for all those guys."

Stowers and his team secured the bragging rights this time around, as the Marlins will head back home with a 4-3 road trip in the rearview mirror after also splitting last week's four-game set with the Rockies.

"We were in pretty much all of the games. I think it's just so fun," Stowers said. "I feel like there was a stretch like that, too, where we were in these games, maybe not coming through. … It's just really fun to be in the games and then come through with wins."