SIMPLY UNAMAZIN’
METS LOSE TO NOT-SO LOWLY MARLINS
More than a decade has passed since the Marlins had a winning season. They’ve spent the past two years buried at the bottom of the National League. They have the second-smallest payroll in the league. They endured a COVID-19 outbreak, which afflicted 18 players, suspended their season for eight days and has kept them from home since July 22.
When Miami returned to the field this week, more than half its active roster had to be replaced. When they arrived at Citi Field on Friday, the Marlins sent out a starting pitcher with no experience above High-A ball.
Still, the Mets were overmatched.
With one shaky frame from starter Michael Wacha and another series of missed opportunities at the plate, the last-place Mets returned from their first day off in two weeks by losing a 4-3 battle to the first-place Marlins, who stretched their stunning winning streak to six games and remain unbeaten since resuming play on Tuesday.
“If you’ve been around this game, for a while now, you can see some crazy stuff,” said Wacha, who allowed all four runs in the second inning. “They’re still big league ballplayers. They’re going out there and they’re playing. Nobody’s really giving them a chance, and I’m sure they’ve got that up on their bulletin boards . ... You never know what can happen, especially in this game.”
Entering averaging a major league-worst 8.92 runners left on base per game, the Mets fell to 1-5 at home this season after leaving another seven stranded on the rain-soaked night.
Trailing 4-1 in the eighth inning, the Mets cut the deficit to one and loaded the bases with one out, but the runners remained there, following a shallow pop fly from Dominic Smith — who homered in the second inning — and a hard-hit grounder by Wilson Ramos.
The Mets went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
“The adrenaline rush of the moment, where you know what’s at stake, can definitely get you outside what you do as a hitter,” manager Luis Rojas said. “It’s something that’s happened before. It’s common in the game. We just have to have the ability to control it.”
Wacha (1-2), who suffered his second straight loss and saw his ERA rise to 6.43, struck out nine in an outing marred by one inning. After a walk and an infield single to open the second, the Marlins took control on Francisco
Cervelli’s three-run homer to right. A two-out walk to Magneuris Sierra then set up Jonathan Villar’s RBI double.
“Just one bad inning,” Rojas said. “He bounced back and kept us in the game.”
The offense wasn’t much help. The Mets had just three hits through seven innings and finished with 11 strikeouts, including six in 2¹/3 innings against debuting starter Humberto Mejia.
But the Mets found hope with Amed Rosario’s leadoff double in the eighth, building with Pete Alonso’s single to load the bases. The comeback seemed set when Michael Conforto’s shot to third was stopped by a diving Brian Anderson, whose throw home went wide, cutting the deficit to two. J.D. Davis followed by making it 4-3 with a single to left, bringing Smith to the plate with the bases full.
Then, the momentum vanished.
The Marlins improbably remained atop the N.L. East. The Mets looked a million miles away.
“I don’t think we’ll ever really hit the panic button,” Smith said. “We’re continuously putting ourselves in positions to win. We’re not just getting overmatched at the plate, we’re not just getting blown out, so that’s one of the positives . ... Once we get it going, we can go on a little run. We know we’re close to getting on a good run.”