Jose Fernandez, the 20-year old Marlins pitching phenom, suffocated the Mets tonight as Miami beat them by the score of 8-1 to take their second straight game of the series.
Collin McHugh made his first start of the season and he was in trouble right from the start. The righthander lasted just four innings and was charged with four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out one. The fact that he was manhandled by one of the most anemic offenses in the game was discouraging to say the least.
Meanwhile, the story of the game was rookie Jose Fernandez who pitched with all the swagger of a veteran ace and is exceeding all expectations despite being promoted after only 138 minor league innings. The kid was absolutely dominating with an overpowering fastball and that devastating hammer curve. He pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed three harmless singles while striking out eight. Nasty stuff…
Offensively, the Mets were firing blanks for the second night in a row. David Wright took the collar and is now 0-for-his-last-13. John Buck looked awful again and struck out three times on the first nine pitches he saw. Omar Quintanilla had two of the Mets five hits and is batting .444 as a Met.
The Mets bullpen was ineffective and how Robert Carson continues to hold down a job in the majors defies all logic. He allowed three more runs to cross the plate and now has a 9.00 ERA this season. Greg Burke also allowed a run on two hits and a walk in his two-thirds of an inning of work. Aside from Rice and Parnell this bullpen will need a fourth straight revamp this offseason. How does that saying go… Fourth time’s a charm… No wait… Never mind…
This was a terrible loss for the Mets who have managed to extinguish any good vibes still remaining from their four game sweep of the Yankees. The Miami Marlins are without a doubt the worst team in the majors, but the Mets make them look like Murderer’s Row every time.
The Mets will try to avoid an embarrassing sweep and will have their ace Matt Harvey (5-0, 1.85 ERA) on the mound opposing Marlins right-hander Kevin Slowey (1-5, 3.59) at 1:10 pm. I hope the Mets will score some runs for Harvey who has been looking for his sixth win for nearly a month.
