The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Wheeler, Mets shut out Marlins
NEW YORK — Zack Wheeler pitched eight efficient innings, Wilson Ramos and Pete Alonso homered, and the New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 50 Tuesday night for their 12th win in 13 games.
The hardcharging Mets improved to
5856 a night after surpassing the .500 mark for the first time since early May. New York has the best record in baseball since the AllStar break and improbably entered the day 21⁄2 games behind Philadelphia for an NL wild card despite looking like trade deadline sellers in midJuly.
Wheeler (96) had his bags packed and was ready to be dealt, but he remained in Flushing to aid an unlikely playoff chase. After throwing seven scoreless innings against the White Sox a day after the deadline, he cruised through eight on 99 pitches against the Marlins, allowing eight
hits and striking out five.
Todd Frazier had a tworun double in the first inning and Ramos added a threerun shot in the third. Alonso smoked a solo shot in the fifth, his second connection in two games after going nine without one. Alonso has 36 homers for the season.
Miami righthander Hector Noesi (01) allowed five runs over five innings in his first major league appearance since 2015.
New York will try to complete a fourgame sweep of the Marlins on Wednesday.
Frazier hit an RBI double off the glove of left fielder Jon Berti in the first inning, the sixth straight game New York scored in its first turn atbat.
Wheeler had two runners on with one out in the sixth and seventh innings but escaped both jams. He ended the sixth with consecutive strikeouts and got out of the seventh with another punchout and by breaking pinchhitter Harold Ramirez’s bat on a soft lineout.
After Wheeler stranded another runner in the eighth, Robert Gsellman pitched the ninth.
A day after homering Monday in his major league debut, Marlins infielder Isan Diaz was hitless with three strikeouts.
WELCOME BACK
Noesi spent the previous three seasons in Korea, including a 20win year in 2017, and returned to the U.S. this season on a minor league deal with Miami. The 32yearold righthander ranked among the TripleA Pacific Coast League leaders in wins, ERA and strikeouts before being called up Tuesday.
Noesi singled in his first atbat for his third career hit and first since 2012.
PUP IN PLAY
Mets leadoff hitter Jeff McNeil and wife Tatiana brought their new puppy, Willow, to the ballpark for a ceremony with the North Shore Animal League, which coordinated the dog’s adoption last month. McNeil met Willow at Citi Field prior to a game against the Pirates and pleaded with Tatiana to adopt her — Tatiana relented after McNeil hit a threerun homer that night. The couple created an Instagram account for Willow, which already has over 7,000 followers.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: SS Miguel Rojas strained his right hamstring stumbling over first place on a groundout in the third inning. He needed assistance walking off the field and was pulled from the game. … INF Yadiel Rivera was designated for assignment to make space for Noesi. … Manager Don Mattingly said 1B Garrett Cooper has been dealing with nagging lower body injuries during a recent slump. He entered Tuesday on an 0for15 skid but ended that with two hits. Mets: OF Michael Conforto and SS Amed Rosario were held out of the lineup for rest. Manager Mickey Callaway has been spelling his every day players over the past couple of weeks but said the workload for those players will pick up starting this weekend against Washington.
UP NEXT
Mets LHP Steven Matz (67, 4.60) faces Marlins RHP Jordan Yamamoto (42, 3.94) in the finale of the fourgame series. Matz allowed five runs to the Pirates in his previous start, New York’s only loss in 13 games.