Mets’ Offense Explodes In 9-3 Win, Sweep Over Marlins

Sunday afternoon, against the Miami Marlins (47-55), the New York Mets (64-37) hoped to complete a three-game sweep. At LoanDepot park, the Mets did exactly that as they pummeled Miami 9-3. Propelled by the terrific offense, the Mets tallied a season-high 19 hits resulting in the nine runs. Seven of the nine Mets’ batters registered at least two hits. Taijuan Walker also turned in a decent outing in earning the victory.

The Mets got the scoring going early. In the first inning, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso lined back-to-back doubles down the right-field line. Then, Jeff McNeil plated Alonso with a single of his own after a Daniel Vogelbach base hit. The last bit of scoring the Mets did in the inning was a Mark Canha single which drove home Vogelbach. New York led 3-0 early.

New York added to their lead in the third inning. McNeil registered his second hit of the game, a double. This was followed by Tyler Naquin‘s first hit as a Met, a ball that was misplayed after a hop and resulted in a triple. Canha then picked up his second hit and second RBI of the game via a single through the infield which was brought in with a runner on third.

Brandon Nimmo topped the inning off with a RBI single of his own. That was the 12th hit the Mets registered off Marlins’ starter Pablo López (career high). He was removed from the game directly after the Nimmo base hit. New York went 7-for-11 with runners in scoring position against López. This resulting in the 6-0 third-inning lead.

The Mets added another run in the fifth inning. Luis Guillorme doubled down the line. Nimmo then followed that up with a fielder’s-choice ground ball that brought Guillorme home. The Mets led 7-0 after the top of the fifth inning.

Tajuan Walker departed the game with two outs in the sixth inning. He gave up a run in the fifth and two runs in the sixth before his departure. He was not his sharpest in this one, giving up seven hits and three runs over 5 2/3 innings. Though, he did enough, as he has done so often this season. New York led 7-3 headed to the seventh inning.

The Mets added an insurance run in the seventh inning. Canha and Guillorme registered back-to-back hits, then Patrick Mazeika sacrificed them over. Nimmo then hit a ground ball and the Marlins opted to get the out at second rather than coming home.

Then, on a 3-2 count, Lindor lined a hard-hit ball at Joey Wendle which bounced into the outfield. Nimmo came all the way around from first base to score on the play. As a result, the Mets led 9-3 after seven-and-a-half innings.

That seventh inning concluded a spectacular offensive performance for New York. As mentioned above, they tallied a season high in hits (19). Three Mets had three-hit performances (Lindor, McNeil, and Canha). Lastly, only two Mets did not register multiple hits.

After Walker, Tommy Hunter, Stephen Nogosek, and Yoan López combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings. A nice day for the pitching staff as a whole.

The Mets move to a season-high 27 games over .500. New York will hold a 3.0 game lead over the Atlanta Braves entering their series with Washington. Atlanta has a two-game home series versus Philadelphia on tap.

Player of the Game: Mark Canha

Several Mets had terrific offensive game, though, Canha really stuffed the box score. After a day off yesterday, Canha registered three hits. In doing so, he drove in two runs and scored two of his own. He also had a well-timed stolen base that resulted in the two-run seventh inning. A terrific season continues for the man with a great on-base prowess.

Canha’s final line: 3-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB

On Deck

The Mets will continue their string of NL East opponents in Washington D.C. against the Nationals (35-68). Beginning on Monday, at 7:05 P.M. ET, New York will take on the Nationals to begin the three-game set. The projected pitching matchup for game one is Max Scherzer (2.09 ERA) versus Patrick Corbin (6.49 ERA).