The Mets (12-14) earned their third straight win over the Marlins (9-9) with a 5-3 victory in Miami on Wednesday night. With their first three-game winning streak of the year, the club has now pulled within two games of the division lead. 

Campaigning for his third straight Cy Young Award, Jacob deGrom lowered his ERA to 1.93 with a stellar six shutout innings. Edwin Diaz got the win after striking out four straight batters to close out the game.

New York was fortunate to scrape out the win as the offense hardly showed up, and the bullpen struggled. Mets batters had five runs on 10 hits with three walks. The relievers allowed three runs, three hits, and walked three. 

A season-long theme, the team left seven runners on base and went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position- unable to backup their ace with some well-deserved run support. Conforto’s two-run ninth inning homer broke the tie game and capped off the scrappy win. (Box Score)

PITCHING

After missing his last start because of a stiff neck, deGrom was routinely brilliant in his outing against Miami Wednesday evening. 

Through six scoreless frames, the ace allowed just four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

With runners on first and second after a J.D. Davis throwing error and a Corey Dickerson single, deGrom got back-to-back strikeouts to strand the pair in the first. He gave up a leadoff base hit to Francisco Cervelli in the second but put the next three away in order. 

In the third Jesus Aguilar singled to right, and with one man on for Dickerson, the left-fielder grounded into a fielder’s choice with Aguilar out at second on a nice play by Luis Guillorme. DeGrom got Matt Joyce to groundout to end the inning. 

Jake settled into his groove and retired 10 in a row before allowing a two-out base hit to Joyce in the sixth, but put away his next and final batter he faced. In his fifth start of the year, he exited the game in the position for the win with the Mets holding a 2-0 lead.

Jeurys Familia entered in relief for the seventh. He walked his first batter, Francisco Cervelli, but he was erased on a forceout. Logan Forsythe knocked a one-out infield hit to put the tying runs on base. 

A struggling Familia was lifted for Justin Wilson with two runners on. The lefty got Jonathan Villar to hit a ground ball but the defense couldn’t beat out Villar’s speed, with just Forsythe out at second and runners on the corners. A wild pitch to Monte Harrison drove a run in and cut the Mets’ lead to just one. Wilson got out of the inning with his next pitch, striking out Harrison swinging. 

Dellin Betances took the mound in the eighth. Appearing in back-to-back games for the first time this season, he gave up a leadoff single to Aguilar and never really settled in. Matt Joyce lined a base hit to put the tying runs on base once again with one out. Betances loaded the bases with two outs as he walked Francisco Cervelli, and subsequently hit Alvarez to force in a run– cutting the Mets lead to 3-2. 

Edwin Diaz came into the bases loaded jam and walked Logan Forsythe on five pitches to force in another run that would tie it up. Diaz got the last out via strikeout, but not before blowing the save and giving up the lead. 

In an ironic turn of events after his shaky start, Diaz struck out the side in the ninth to earn the win.

 

OFFENSE

J.D. Davis got the offense going with a two-out infield single in the first. In the second inning, Pete Alonso knocked a one-out base hit and Luis Guillorme doubled putting runners on second and third. In the process, Guillorme extending his hitting streak to eight games. A sacrifice fly from Wilson Ramos drove a run in to get the Mets on the board, 1-0, and grab a lead for deGrom. 

The offensive was relatively quiet until Ramos drove a base hit into right-center for a single with one out in the fifth. Amed Rosario grounded into a 4-6-3 double-play to end the frame. 

In the top of the sixth, Brandon Nimmo hit a ball to the opposite field for a leadoff double. Conforto grounded into a fielder’s choice with Nimmo out at second, and Davis grounded into another double play to end the frame. 

Dominic Smith knocked his ninth double of the year to lead off the seventh, and took third on a Robinson Cano groundout. Alonso was intentionally walked for first and third to set up a potential double-play. But instead, Guillorme knocked an RBI single to right field to make it 2-0 Mets. 

Conforto was hit by a pitch with one out in the eighth and Davis walked to put runners in scoring position for Smith. The red-hot Dom lined a ball into right center field for his second double of the night, making it 3-1 New York. It was Smith’s 21st RBI of the year. The Mets settled for just the one insurance run as they left the bases loaded. 

After the pen blew the lead in the eighth, the Amazins’ sparked a ninth inning rally starting with a Nimmo two-out base hit.  Michael Conforto then knocked one out of the park, putting the Mets back in front with a clutch two-run blast to make it 5-3.

Nimmo was 2-for-5. Conforto was 1-for-4 with the go-ahead, two-run game winning homer. Guillorme added a double and Smith a pair of hits. 15 of  Dom’s last 18 hits have been for extra bases.  With 10 on the season, he’s tied for the National League lead in doubles. 

UP NEXT

The Mets look for the sweep in the finale of their four-game set against the Marlins tomorrow evening. Seth Lugo will make the start for the Mets. The Fish will throw Daniel Castano (0-1, 4.35 ERA). 

In Castano’s last outing, the rookie southpaw allowed one run on four hits through six innings with a pair of walks and two strikeouts.

First pitch in Miami will be at 6:10 PM on August 20. The game will be televised by SNY and broadcast on WCBS 880-AM.