Mets defeat Marlins for seventh straight win
NEW YORK -- The only thing to slow Jacob deGrom down on Saturday night was a rising pitch count. After seven shutout innings, the Mets right-hander exited with eight strikeouts and 101 pitches, but not before being backed by homers from Wilmer Flores and Travis d'Arnaud.
deGrom's dominance set the tone early, and the Mets held off a ninth-inning rally to claim a 5-4 victory over the Marlins, extending New York's winning streak to seven straight. The 2014 National League Rookie of the Year now hasn't given up a run in 18 1/3 innings.
Miami stormed back from four down in the ninth, scoring three times to make it interesting. Off Carlos Torres, Michael Morse belted a solo home run, and with two outs, Dee Gordon's two-run single -- his fifth hit of game -- made it a one-run game. But lefty Alex Torres struck out Christian Yelich for his first save.
"To walk out in that mound in this setting and be cool and calm, it's a tribute to the makeup he's got," Mets manager Terry Collins said of deGrom. "The Minor League coaches that had this guy, they said he's special. And they hit it right on the head."
Marlins right-hander Mat Latos, who gave up two runs and struck out five in five innings, was lifted after 75 pitches for a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. The Mets broke open a five-run lead off prospect Jose Urena, who was tagged for three runs in the sixth, including a two-run homer to Flores.
The Mets, at 9-3 off to their best start since opening 9-2 in 2006, got on the board in the second inning, capitalizing on Eric Campbell's stolen base. With a runner on second, Juan Lagares singled to center to drive in the run. d'Arnaud homered with one out in the third inning. New York has won eight straight at home, going back to Sept. 27, 2014.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
deGrom doesn't back down: After retiring eight straight, deGrom allowed consecutive singles to Gordon and Yelich in the sixth. That brought up Giancarlo Stanton, representing the go-ahead run. deGrom fell behind Stanton 3-0 but came all the way back to strike him out with a 96-mph fastball. deGrom then induced a popout from Martin Prado to preserve the shutout. More >
Video: MIA@NYM: deGrom strikes out Yelich to escape jam
Can't cash in: The speed of Gordon turned what basically was a routine grounder to short into an infield single. With two outs in the third inning and Adeiny Hechavarria on second, Gordon bounced to Flores at short. First baseman Lucas Duda didn't give much of a stretch at first, and Gordon made it a bang-bang play at first. Umpire Sean Barber ruled out, but the Marlins challenged, and the play was overturned. That left runners on the corners, but deGrom struck out Yelich to end the threat. More >
Video: MIA@NYM: Call at first overturned after review in 3rd
Hot in two spot: d'Arnaud sent a 2-0 pitch from Latos over the left-field wall in the third for his second home run in three games since taking of the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Collins inserted d'Arnaud there when David Wright landed on the disabled list. d'Arnaud hit 13 homers as a rookie last season, when he primarily hit fifth or seventh. More >
Video: MIA@NYM: d'Arnaud clobbers a solo home run
QUOTABLE
"It was great to see us come to life at the end, when we put together some nice at-bats. We mounted a comeback. We were one more big hit away from tying that game or going ahead. It was good to see us rally, after a quiet seven innings, to be able to keep battling. Hopefully, that will give us some momentum going into tomorrow." -- Marlins manager Mike Redmond
"The closeness of this team -- a lot of guys came up and played together coming up through the organization. Guys have gotten married at the same time. Guys have had children at the same time. So they're going through those life lessons at the same time. What that does is build a bond. That bond helps you get through that grind and builds the trust that gets you through a 162-game season." -- Michael Cuddyer, on the Mets' clubhouse cohesiveness
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Stanton had his streak of five straight games homering against the Mets, which dated back to Sept. 1 of last year, snapped. That tied the longest such string against New York. Ryan Howard and Henry Aaron also did it.
Cuddyer (seven), Lagares (six) and Duda (five) all extended modest hitting streaks Saturday. Lagares' second-inning single plated a run, while Cuddyer scored after his double in the sixth.
INSTANT REPLAY
Collins lost his challenge on the first play of the game. The Mets asked for the review of Gordon's bunt single to lead off the game to see if first baseman Duda's foot came off the bag as he collected third baseman Campbell's throw. The review lasted two minutes, 58 seconds, and it was determined the ruling stands.
Video: MIA@NYM: Gordon's bunt single stands in the 1st
In the third inning, the Marlins benefited again by replay. Gordon's speed turned a routine grounder to shortstop into a bang-bang play at first. First base umpire Barber called Gordon out, but Miami challenged. After a three-minute, 17-second review, the call was overturned. Also on the play, Hechavarria, who was on second, attempted to score. But rather than be awarded the run, Hechavarria was awarded third.
The Marlins had three reviews go their way, with the third taking a run off the board for the Mets in the eighth inning. With two outs, Lagares tapped a slow grounder in front of the plate. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia's throw pulled first baseman Morse off the bag, and he was called safe. But after review, it showed Morse did have a foot on the base before being pulled off, preventing a run from scoring. So the call was overturned.
Video: MIA@NYM: Lagares' single overturned in the 8th
WHAT'S NEXT
Marlins: Tom Koehler, who gave Miami its first win on the road trip on Tuesday at Atlanta, closes out the four-game series for the Marlins. A New York native who attended Stony Brook is 0-1 with a 3.62 ERA in five games, with four starts, at Citi Field.
Mets: The Mets turn to Matt Harvey looking for their eighth straight win and ninth consecutive home victory dating back to last season. Harvey is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and appears completely recovered from the elbow injury that cost him the entire 2014 season.
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