Mets dominate Marlins behind Syndergaard
Jays solidify wild-card position by beating Orioles • Tigers crush Indians • Yankees snap Red Sox streak
MIAMI – When the grieving Miami Marlins played their first game since the death of Jose Fernandez, the New York Mets respectfully embraced their roles as mourners. For one night, the business of a tense wild-card race took a back seat to honoring a fallen player.
But a day later, the Mets returned to Marlins Park with a different mandate. In Tuesday night’s 12-1 victory over the Marlins, it was clear that baseball, trivial as it is, again took precedence.
Mets ace Noah Syndergaard showed no ill effects from the strep throat that had scratched his last start, an encouraging sign for a team that will lean upon him should it make the playoffs.
While allowing one run in six innings, Syndergaard struck out eight and flashed the dominant form that has marked his season. He remains on track to start the regular-season finale against the Phillies on Sunday, an ace in the hole should the wild-card race come down to the final day.
The Mets banged out 19 hits on a night when Lucas Duda knocked in three runs, a signal that he may be finding his rhythm after missing much of the year with a back injury.
Yoenis Cespedes struck the gaudy home run structure in left-center field with a towering two-run blast, his 31st homer. Jay Bruce showed signs of emerging from his thaw, clubbing a two-run shot of his own, his sixth homer since joining the Mets. Curtis Granderson contributed three RBIs.
The Mets won for the fourth time in their last six games and moved closer to securing one of the National League’s two wild-card spots. They entered Wednesday leading the Giants by a half-game and the Cardinals by 1½ games.
Only four games remain for the Mets to finish off what has been a stunning second-half turnaround, salvaging a season that appeared sunk when they dipped to 60-62 on August 19, 5½ games back of the wild card. They have gone 24-12 while leapfrogging four teams to seize control of their fate.
Syndergaard (14-9) is in line to start in Philadelphia on Sunday, though circumstance will dictate how he is used. If the Mets clinch a wild card before then, club sources said he likely will be pulled after one inning, using the outing as a tuneup for next Wednesday night’s wild-card game. He would not be used simply to secure home-field advantage.
Giving Syndergaard a sleepy Sunday is the ideal scenario for the Mets. But if the road gets rocky and Sunday is a must-win, they have the luxury of entrusting their season to their most dominant weapon.
(Newsday/TNS)
Blue Jays 5, Orioles 1
Aaron Sanchez struck out 10 in six innings, Josh Donaldson and Ezequiel Carrera homered and Toronto defeated Baltimore.
Carrera and Donaldson each had two RBIs for the Blue Jays, who moved two games ahead of the Orioles in the race for the first wild-card spot in the American League.
Sanchez (14-2) allowed five hits, three walks and one run to end a string of three straight no-decisions outings.
Yankees 6, Red Sox 4
Rookie Tyler Austin hit a tie-breaking two-run home run with none out in the bottom of the seventh inning, lifting New York over Boston and preventing its rival from clinching the AL East.
Austin gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead when he lifted a 1-1 pitch from David Price (17-9) into the right field seats.
Austin’s homer prevented the Red Sox from clinching their eighth division title and ended their 11-game winning streak.
The Red Sox need one win or a Toronto loss to clinch. The Blue Jays kept the celebration on hold by beating Baltimore.
The Yankees remained mathematically alive in the wild card race, but are four games behind Baltimore with five to play.
Tigers 12, Indians 0
Miguel Cabrera drove in five runs with a homer and double to surpass 100 RBIs for the 12th time while Justin Verlander dominated Cleveland’s reserve-laden lineup with 72/3 innings to lead Detroit to victory.
The win pulled the Tigers to within one game of Baltimore for the second AL wildcard spot with five games to play.
Justin Upton added a three-run homer and Andrew Romine hit a two-run shot for the Tigers.
Verlander (16-8) struck out 12 and walked one.
Cubs 6, Pirates 4
Chris Coghlan gave Chicago an early lead with a three-run triple in the second inning and the Cubs built on what was already the majors’ best record with conquest of Pittsburgh.
Chicago is 101-56, the most wins by the team since the 1910 Cubs won 104 games.
Astros 8, Mariners 4
Rookie Alex Bregman delivered a game-tying pinch-hit with two outs in the sixth inning to ignite a six-run frame that pushed Houston past Seattle.
Bregman dumped an RBI single into center field off Mariners ace Felix Hernandez (11-7) to even the score at 4-4 before George Springer and Marwin Gonzalez drove in two runs each to chase Hernandez and complete the onslaught. (Reuters)