Mets Fry Marlins, As Alonso Hits Milestone

Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets dominated the Miami Marlins, 10-4, on Friday night at an energetic Citi Field. The Mets improved to 43-23, an even 20 games over .500 and gained a game on the Atlanta Braves in the National League East race making it a 5 1/2 game edge. The Braves’ 14-game winning streak was snapped with a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field Friday afternoon.

It was Pride Night at Citi Field, with plenty of festivities including members of the LGBT Network participating in an on-field Pride flag presentation during the National Anthem which was performed by Krystofer Maison, a queer, non-binary singer and recording artist based in New York City. During the seventh inning stretch, drag queen Jan Sport performed "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." As seen about, the Coca-Cola sign above right field was illuminated in the colors of the Pride Rainbow flag.

Carlos Carrasco fires a pitch to Jon Berti. Photo by Jason Schott.

Carlos Carrasco got the start for the Mets, and he was superb, a nice bounce back after a tough outing last Saturday night against the Angels in Anaheim. Carrasco went 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs as he scattered eight hits and two walks, with seven strikeouts. He improves to FILL IN on the season.

The right-hander ran into trouble in the first inning when he allowed a two-out walk to Jorge Soler and a single to Avisail Garcia, and got out of it by getting Jon Berti to ground out to second.

Pablo Lopez got the start for Miami, and he got no help from his defense early. Brandon Nimmo led off for the Mets, and he hit a one-hopper that came up on Jazz Chisholm, Jr., at second base, so he had a single. Then, Starling Marte hit a routine fly to center field that popped out of the glove of Bryan De La Cruz.

Francisco Lindor was up next, and he made Miami pay for the defensive miscues, as he hit a bomb to deep center that went off the black around the Home Run Apple to make it 3-0.

Francisco Lindor being greeted on his way back to the dugout after the home run. Photo by Jason Schott.

Now that Carrasco was working with a lead, he settled in, as he retired Miami in order in the second, and worked around a Garrett Cooper single in the third. Miami got singles from Garcia and Miguel Rojas to give Miami two runners on and one out in the fourth, and Carrasco got Willians Astudillo to pop out to second and Jacob Stallings to dribble one to first base.

Miami got on the board in the fifth when De La Cruz hit one into the left field corner for a sacrifice fly to cut the Mets' lead to 3-1. Carrasco then struck out Jazz Chisholm, Jr. (his second K of the night to that point) and Cooper before giving up a single to Jorge Soler, who then was erased in a force out hit into by Garcia.

The Meta rallied in the sixth, as Jeff McNeil and Mark Canha opened the frame with singles. Luis Guillorme then hit a rocket to center field that De La Cruz appeared to have made an amazing catch on. McNeil and Canha were off to the races, so when the out was called, Miami threw the ball around and it looked like it could have been a triple play, as both would have been doubled-off.

A replay then showed that the ball hit the fence, and De La Cruz trapped it on the fence, then, as he fell back and the ball came loose, he made it appear that he caught it again as he was falling down. 

The Mets challenged, and after about a minute of review, Guillorme was given a single, and McNeil and Canha moved up to second and third to load the bases with nobody out. In my opinion, if the correct call were made, Guillorme gets at least a double, if not a triple. To give him just one base is not exactly fair, or at least let McNeil score, which he certainly would have.

J.D. Davis was up next, and he hit a quick single to right to bring in McNeil and make it 4-1. Since everyone moved up just one base, the bases were still loaded for Tomas Nido, who struck out, and that was the last batter Lopez would face.

Tommy Nance came in from the Miami bullpen as the Mets lineup turned over, and he got Nimmo to fly out to left field for the second out, but it was too shallow, so Canha could not tag up. 

Marte then drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in Canha, and Lindor then got hit by a pitch to bring in Davis and open up a 6-1 lead.

Alonso was up next, and he cleaned the bases with a blast to left field for a grand slam that made it 10-1 Mets. It was the Mets' first baseman's second grand slam, and his 125th career home run in 435 games, the second-quickest in Major League Baseball history to Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies, who did it in 405 games. Alonso passed Yankee Aaron Judge, who did it in 447 games.

That closed the book on the Marlins starter Lopez, as he went 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and a walk, with five strikeouts.

Carrasco came back out for the seventh, and he got to work with a nine-run lead, and he struck out De La Cruz to open the frame. He then walked Chisholm and allowed a single to Cooper to end his night. 

Adonis Medina came in to face Jorge Soler, who hit a shot to left field that Canha caught up to, got a glove on it, but couldn't corral it, so Soler had an RBI double. Garcia then got hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Berti hit into a force out to bring in another run and make it 10-3 Mets. Luke Williams pinch-hit for Rojas, and he struck out to end the threat.