Marlins sweep Mets
Stanton, Bour hit homers in win.
MIAMI — Don Mattingly wasn’t sure what to expect from Justin Bour upon the first baseman’s return this month, and Bour himself had no way of knowing for sure either. After five-plus weeks on the disabled list with a strained oblique, and only a handful of minor league games to help get his timing back, what production could Bour reasonably offer?
Turns out, quite a bit. Bour homered for the second day in a row Wednesday in the Miami Marlins’ 9-2 win over the New York Mets, and in 11 games this month he is hitting .359 (14 for 39) with five extra-base hits, resuming his march toward several personal bests with 10 games to go.
The sweep-finishing win was Miami’s third in a row. That matches the Marlins’ win total in their previous 20 games to start the week.
“It’s been a grind for us,” Miguel Rojas said, “but it’s showed a lot of character that we came home after the long road trip when we couldn’t put a good series together and we swept this team.”
Bour’s blast came in the third inning, a two-out, two-run shot to center. Tuesday night, he went deep against ex-Marlin AJ Ramos to start the game-tying ninth inning rally in Miami’s extra-inning win. With 23 homers on the year, Bour is even with his 2015 total of 23 in 31 fewer games.
Bour is also approaching career-high marks in RBI (73 in 2015, 71 now), hits (107 in 2015, 101 now) and doubles (20 in 2015, 18 now). All three components of his .297/.372/.546 slash line are his best ever.
“That one had a motor on it. It kept going.” Giancarlo Stanton, on his 56th home run
“He didn’t look sharp at first [upon returning]. His swing had a little drag in it, but he was getting his hits and taking some walks,” Mattingly said. “So he’s gotten to the point where he’s played every day. He’s pretty much back on timing again.”
The Marlins’ first five runs Wednesday scored with two outs as they roughed up Mets starter Rafael Montero for five runs in four innings. The two-out streak ended in the eighth, when A.J. Ellis and Rojas hit back-to-back homers.
Giancarlo Stanton capped the scoring with his 56th homer of the year, a line drive to left field to score a pair.
“That one had a motor on it. It kept going,” Stanton said. “The curveball already has that backspin that you need. You’ve got to clip it.”
Stanton’s three RBI on the day give him 120 on the season, one shy of Preston Wilson’s single-season franchise record, set in 2000. Marcell Ozuna, who drove in the Marlins’ first two runs with singles, has 115 RBI.
With homer No. 56, Stanton also tied Hall of Famer Ken Griffey’s personal high from 1997 and 1998. Griffey was one of Stanton’s favorite players growing up.
“That's good company,” Stanton said. “I'm getting up there with some great company. That's a good one.”
Right-hander Jose Urena was effective and efficient in allowing two runs across eight innings, a performance that would have been a season highlight a year ago but now registers as slightly better than his new average. He scattered seven hits — including a homer from Brandon Nimmo — struck out three and walked none, maxing out at 18 pitches in an inning, done in the fifth and eighth.
Urena’s ERA is down to 3.55, a top-20 mark among 64 qualified pitchers and even with Mets ace Jacob deGrom.
“That’s not exactly the Mets lineup from early in the year,” Mattingly said. “But he’s capable of doing that against anybody. So what he’s going be? Who knows? But I think he’s shown us that he is a viable [starter] for sure.
“I don’t ever want to put limits on what a guy can be. But I think he’s shown us that he’s been strong all year long. He holds velocity. This guy pitches aggressive. He’s getting better. … Everyone puts numbers on guys. If he starts doing what he did today where he’s able to get seven or eight innings like that, then he becomes a top-of-the-line guy.”