You would think that when your pitching staff strikes out 13 opposing batters, your team has a decent chance of winning. Mets pitching did just that on Friday against the Marlins at First Data Field, but because of the hitting of former Met Neil Walker and some more shoddy defense, the Mets were crushed today 10-3. Box Score.

Walker had two home runs, three hits overall, and four RBIs in the game. The big blast was a three-run home run off of Noah Syndergaard in the third. JT Riddle also homered for the Marlins, a solo shot in the fourth.

The Mets scoring was courtesy of three solo home runs, one each by Jeff McNeil, Robinson Cano and Andres Gimenez. Cano and Gimenez each had two hits accounting for four of the Mets six hits they had in the game.

Noah Syndergaard made his third spring start for the Mets and although he was overpowering to some Marlin batters striking out eight, he still allowed four runs (three earned), six hits in four innings pitched. He threw 69 pitches.

The defense was shoddy again for the Mets as they committed four more errors in the game. They now have a league worse 28 errors this spring.

Pitching

Noah Syndergaard started for the Mets and after a scoreless first and second innings, gave up three runs in the third. Santiago Chavez reached on an error by Dominic Smith followed by a single by Lewis Brunson. One batter later, Walker unloaded on Syndergaard hitting a long 3-run home run to give Miami a 3-1 lead.

Riddle led off the fourth inning with a solo homer off of Synderdaard to extend the Miami lead to 4-1.

In the fifth, Walker made it 5-2 with his second home run of the game, this one a solo shot. It was his third hit of the game and it was off the Mets second pitcher of the day, Seth Lugo.

Things fell apart for the Mets in the sixth inning. Lugo was still on the hill as the Marlins would send eight men to the plate in the frame and score three runs. After another error was made with one man was out, the Marlins proceeded to go triple, double, double to go up 8-2 and effectively put this game away. Isaac Galloway hit the triple followed by back-to back doubles by Gabriel Guerrero and Yadiel Rivera.

The Marlins completed their scoring in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Isan Diaz and an error to allow Monte Harrison, who had singled, to score. Robert Gsellman pitched the ninth, his fourth appearance of the spring. The two runs made the score 10-3 and that was the final.

A bright spot for Mets’ pitching continues to be Luis Avilan who pitched the top of eighth and retired the Marlins in order. In  5 2/3 innings this spring, Avilan has allowed only three hits, seven strike outs, and no walks.

Edwin Diaz pitched a scoreless seventh for New York. The Mets used six pitchers in the game.

Offense

The Mets only managed six hits this afternoon, three of which were solo homers.

The first home run came in the first inning as lead-off man Jeff McNeil blasted a deep shot to right to give the Mets an early lead. McNeil had been hitless this spring going 0-7.

In the bottom of the fourth, Robinson Cano lead off with a home run to cut the Miami lead to 4-2 at the time. It was Cano’s first homer of the spring and first in a Mets’ uniform.

Andres Gimenez completed the scoring with a home run in the seventh, his second hit of the day.

On Deck

The Mets travel to Fort Myers to play the World Champion Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park at Fenway South at 1:05 p.m. Zack Wheeler will make the start for the Mets opposed by Eduardo Rodriguez. There is no local broadcasts scheduled for the game, but it will be on NESN.