LOOKIN’ WHEEL GOOD!
Zack wins 5th straight as Mets win battle of bottom of NL East
Once again, Zack Wheeler looked right at home at Marlins Park.
Wheeler won his fifth straight start overall, pitching seven solid innings and sending the New York Mets over the Miami Marlins 6-2 on Friday night.
He is 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA in six career starts in Miami.
"I don't think it's anything in particular, maybe just pitching inside," Wheeler said. "I don't know. It's nothing in particular, but I have good numbers here and hopefully can keep it rolling."
Wheeler (7-6) allowed four hits and two runs. He struck out eight and walked just one for the fourth consecutive outing.
"He kind of goes after them like he knows his stuff is better than them and he's going to make them beat him," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.
Wheeler's scoreless-inning streak ended at 23 when he gave up a two-run homer to Miguel Rojas with two outs in the seventh, making it 4-2.
"I don't think that was my best, but the results were there," Wheeler said. "I just made that mistake to Rojas. I'm pretty sure he was sitting on it so I'll take that and put it in the memory bank and just go from there."
Marlins manager Don Mattingly had a different perspective.
"He looked pretty good," Mattingly said. "His stuff was really good. I haven't seen him pitch that much. This is the best I've ever seen him. He was on the attack tonight."
New York's Amed Rosario had three hits and drove in two runs to set the tone from the leadoff spot. "He was really good," Callaway said. "I thought he stayed on the ball really well. He kept his hands inside the ball really well and hit the ball up the middle, stayed up on top of it. He was really good. I thought his swing was short and quick, and I like to continue using him in that leadoff spot. I think it's good for him."
Kevin Plawecki knocked in two and Austin Jackson had three hits for the Mets, who have won three of four.