Game 10 of 162
Marlins 7-Mets 2 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)
Mets record: 5-5
Mets streak: Lost 1
WP - Tanner Scott (1-1)
LP - Carlos Carrasco (0-2)
Seat on the Korner:
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
Bryan De La Cruz' first-inning, three-run home run on an 0-2 count set the tone for the game. He followed that with a sacrifice fly in the seventh and also had a key catch in left field.
Need to Know
Starling Marte had to leave the game after stealing third base in the first inning, suffering a neck strain when his head collided with Marlins third baseman Jean Segura on the slide.
Mark Canha's conservative baserunning may have cost the Mets a run in the second on Francisco Alvarez' RBI single. He waited to break from third base, forcing third base coach Joey Cora to give the stop sign to Jeff McNeil after originally waving him home from second base.
The Mets struck out seven times against Marlins starter Braxton Garrett, who fooled them mostly with his curve ball. Nevertheless, he, like Carrasco, failed to get out of the fifth inning.
Steven Nogosek, the bullpen's most likely candidate to assume the role of innnings eater, did his job, pitching three and a third innings of one-run ball. Nogosek struck out five, throwing 52 pitches. Dennis Santana pitched a rocky but scoreless ninth.
Marlins centerfielder Jazz Chisholm went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and two stolen bases, but was ejected in the seventh after arguing a called third strike with umpire Jeff Nelson -- following up his dissatisfaction with Nelson's calls in a previous at-bat. With Avisail Garcia coming out of the game earlier because of injury, the Marlins were forced to put backup shortstop Garrett Hampson in center field.
Because of the balanced schedule, the Mets don't face the Marlins again until Sept. 18, the longest gap of any MLB matchup this year.
Turning Point
It was an uphill struggle all day for the Mets after Bryan De La Cruz' first-inning three-run home run.
Three Keys
Carlos Carrasco again was ineffective, allowing six runs (including two long home runs by De La Cruz and Garrett Cooper), failing to get out of the fifth inning. He faced 22 hitters, throwing first-pitch strikes to only 10 of them. His ERA after two starts is 11.42.
Francisco Alvarez, on balance, had a disappointing first start behind the plate. While he did have an RBI single in the second, he struck out twice after that with runners on base. The Marlins also repeatedly tested Alvarez' arm, ringing up five stolen bases in the process. Alvarez committed the Mets' first error of the season on a Jean Segura steal in the 7th.
After hitting a two-run homer Saturday, Eduardo Escobar reverted to failing to cash in with runners in scoring position, missing on three opportunities. Escobar has the fifth-worst average with runners in scoring position in MLB.
Comments