Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Marcus Stroman recorded his 10th win of the season Tuesday afternoon against Miami. The 30-year-old is now 10-13 in 33 starts and reached the 10-win plateau for the first time since 2017 when he was 13-9 for the Blue Jays.
Stroman pitched five of seven innings against the Marlins. He allowed five hits, two runs, walked two, and struck out four. Stroman reached first base on an error and stole his first career base, the first by a Mets pitcher since Jacob deGrom in 2017.
His afternoon started with a bang, striking out Jazz Chisholm and getting Bryan De La Cruz to ground out. He allowed a single to Jesus Sanchez that was for naught with Tomas Nido throwing him out trying to steal second.
Stroman allowed a single to Joe Panik in the second. The other three batters all grounded out. He danced around trouble in the third after surrendering a leadoff walk to Magneuris Sierra.
With Sierra on first, relief pitcher Daniel Castano sacrificed him to second. A bunt single from Chisholm would move him over to third. De La Cruz found himself in a 1-2 hole with runners at the corners. Stroman winded up, Chisholm ran toward second, De La Cruz swung and miss on an 84 MPH splitter, Nido threw to Javier Baez at second who tagged Chisholm as he caught the ball. The third inning jam ended on a strike-em-out, throw-em-out.
Stroman wouldn’t escape harm’s way in the fourth. He let up a leadoff walk to Sanchez, who was promptly driven in on a two-run home run by Miami first baseman Lewin Diaz. The former Met, Panik, singled for the second time but was left stranded at first again following a Sierra ground out to end the inning.
Stroman’s final inning went down smooth. He struck out Sandy Leon, then Chisholm and De La Cruz each grounded out to end the inning in eight pitches.
Stroman was relieved by Seth Lugo for the sixth and Edwin Diaz completed his 31st save of the season with a two-strikeout performance in the seventh.
A sinkerball pitcher, Stroman executed his game plan to near perfection getting seven groundouts to zero flyouts. It was Stroman’s third time facing Miami this season. He didn’t allow more than two runs in any game against them.
With one more start this weekend in Atlanta, Stroman would be the only pitcher in the majors to start 34 games this season.
