Mets continue to slide, fall into last
MIAMI — Brian Anderson hit a two-run homer off Jacob deGrom and the Miami Marlins climbed out of last place in the NL East by rallying past the New York Mets 5-2 Saturday.
For the second game in a row, a Marlins pitcher beat the Mets while making his first major league start. Pablo Lopez (1-0) allowed two runs in six innings in his big league debut.
The Mets (32-48) lost for the 10th time in 11 games and fell into last place for the first time this year. They finished 5-21 this month for the worst June in franchise history, and they’ve plummeted from 10 games over .500 to 15 under at an earlier date than any team in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Meanwhile, the rebuilding Marlins (34-50) went 14-14 in June, their best month this season.
DeGrom took a 2-0 lead into the sixth, but Anderson’s fifth homer tied the game. J.T. Riddle beat out a dribbler up the first-base line for a two-out RBI hit that put Miami ahead to stay.
J.T. Realmuto added a two-run double in the seventh after an error by shortstop Amed Rosario prolonged the inning.
Drew Steckenrider pitched a perfect eighth, and Kyle Barraclough earned his eighth save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Steckenrider has thrown 152⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings, and Barraclough has thrown 202⁄3.
The Mets’ runs came on solo homers against Lopez. Jose Bautista hit his fifth of the year, his third with the Mets. Todd Frazier added his ninth.
DeGrom (5-4), who departed after six innings trailing 3-2, fell to 1-4 in his past five starts despite allowing only 15 runs. His ERA, lowest in the majors coming into the game, rose to 1.84.
ROOKIE PITCHERS
Four pitchers have made their first major league start against the Mets this year, and they’ve combined to go 3-0 with an ERA of 1.57. Miami’s Sandy Alcantara won his first career start Friday, allowing one run in five innings.
Lopez was the 17th rookie and 12th rookie pitcher used by Marlins, both most in the majors.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: RHP Noah Syndergaard (finger) and LHP Jason Vargas (calf) are expected to start against each other in a simulated game next week at Single-A Port St. Lucie.