The Mets defeated the Marlins 7-3 in Miami on Sunday, managing to avoid being swept in the three-game series.
Here are the key findings:
1)After Carlos Mendoza indicated before the game that the fight Edwin Diaz wouldn’t be used as the closer for now, the Mets placed the final innings in the hands of Reed Garrett and he did the job with style.
Working with a one-run lead in the eighth inning, Garrett struck out the side on 14 pitches and, with no one in the Mets’ bullpen, was apparently going to pitch the ninth anyway.
Ultimately, the offense made the job easier for him, scoring three runs in the top of the ninth, and Garrett got the final three outs without any real stress, giving up just a single before striking out. Jazz Chisholm Jr. to end the game.
Because it was a one-run game in the eighth, Garrett made a save, his second of the season.
2)The Mets scored 16 runs in two games after Mendoza shook up the top of the lineup, moving Francisco Lindor to the starting point, followed by Pedro Alonso in second place and Brandon Nimmo reaching third.
The players most affected, Lindor and Nimmo, didn’t do much in most of the two games, but they combined to give the Mets two insurance runs in the ninth inning on Sunday when Lindor singled and Nimmo launched a home run over the right field fence.
Lindor’s last slump reached 1-for-29 before he had a single in his final two at-bats on Sunday, raising his average to .197.
3)Sean Manaea continues to be one of the Mets’ most consistent starters, allowing two runs in five innings as his ERA has risen slightly to 3.11. Only once in his nine starts this season has the lefty allowed more than three runs.
His only problem was not giving the Mets the length they would like. In six of his nine starts, Manaea lasted five innings or less, in part because his high walk total often caused his pitch count to increase quickly. On Sunday, he walked just one batter but still threw 95 pitchers in five innings, prompting Mendoza to pull him at that point.
4)Harrison Bader has been hitting some hits lately, including his two-run single in the first inning on Sunday that gave the Mets a 4-0 lead. Bader has now hit six consecutive games, going 8-for-23 during that span, increasing his season average to .282, the highest of any regular player except DH. JD Martinez.
The Mets could have used Martinez, who was out of the lineup due to the flu. The DH was hitting .393 (11-for-28) in his last seven games, which included four doubles and a home run. After a slow start to his delayed season, Martinez is hitting .315 overall with an .825 OPS, the highest of anyone except the recently drafted Marcos Vientos.
GAME MVP: REED GARRETT
The right-hander has been the surprise story of the season, becoming a dominant reliever less than a year after the Mets acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles in June 2023.
And although he’s had some less-than-dominant outings lately, Garrett was excellent on Sunday, racking up four strikeouts and 10 swings and errors, many on his signature splitter, while pitching the final two innings of the game.
The two scoreless innings dropped Garrett’s ERA to 0.72 on the season. He has 41 strikeouts in 25 innings.
Highlights
Next
The Mets head to Cleveland for a three-game set against the Guardians.
Tylor Megill will start against Ben Lively on Monday at 6:10 pm
