Mets Mash Marlins On Night That Could Be Model Going Forward

 

David Peterson finishing his windup on this strike to Bryan De La Cruz in the third inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets had one of their most complete games of the season on Wednesday night at Citi Field, as they romped past the Miami Marlins, 10-4. They got solid pitching from David Peterson and Dedniel Nunez, and a trio of home runs from Harrison Bader, Starling Marte, and Francisco Lindor.

The Mets (29-37) set the tone early when Peterson had a strong 1-2-3 top of the first, capped by striking out Josh Bell looking.

David Peterson walks off the mound, with Francisco Alvarez tossing it down to first base, after striking out Josh Bell in the first inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

In the bottom of the first against Marlins starter Braxton Garrett, a lefty like Peterson, the Mets offense got off to a fast start. Francisco Lindor led off with a double when Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. misjudged a liner, and then Harrison Bader then crushed one to right field for a no-doubt two-run homer. 

That gave the Mets center fielder his fourth of the season, and 25 RBI on the season as well.

Harrison Bader celebrating at home plate after his first-inning dinger. Photo by Jason Schott.

Miami tied it at 2 in the top of the second when Dane Myers got an RBI double and Emmanuel Rivera got an RBI single.

That would be short-lived, as the Mets went to work in the bottom of the second, which opened with a Tyrone Taylor single. 

Mark Vientos then reached on an error by Rivera at third base, and then Francisco Alvarez, in just his second game back from an injured list stint, got an RBI single.

Jeff McNeil then bounced one to second base that took a nasty hop on Otto Lopez, who was called for an error, and Vientos came on in to score. Later in the inning, J.D. Martinez laced an RBI single to center field to bring in McNeil and open up a 5-2 Mets lead.

Peterson worked around a walk in the third and a Tim Anderson single in the fourth to keep it there, but Miami rallied in the fifth. Lopez got a one-out double, and came in to score when Bryan De La Cruz got a double of his own. 

Two batters later, Chisholm Jr. got an RBI single to pull Miami back to within one, at 5-4.

The Mets would get one back in a big way, as Starling Marte blasted one into the second deck in left field for a solo shot with two outs. That was his seventh home run of the season, and it would chase Garrett from the game.

Peterson would also exit after the fifth, and his final line was: 5 innings pitched, 8 hits, 4 runs (all earned), with two walks and he struck out one.

Nunez would come on for the sixth, and he struck out the first two hitters he saw in that frame, then he struck out two more in the seventh, and came out for the eighth to strike out Jake Burger to end his perfect 2 1/3 innings, seven-for-seven retired outing.

Meanwhile, by that point, the Mets led 8-4 because they plated a pair in the seventh when Mark Vientos got an RBI single and Marte, who reached on a walk, scored on an Alvarez fielder's choice.

The Mets blew it open in the bottom of the eighth when Lindor led off the frame with a solo shot, his 11th homer of the season, and Marte followed with an RBI single that made it 10-4.

Marte, Bader, and Alvarez had two RBI apiece, while Taylor led the way with four hits, followed by Lindor, Bader, and Marte each notched two hits.

Peterson improved to 2-0 on the season, but since this was just his third start of the season, his ERA (earned run average) jumped from 3.09 to 4.32. Garrett took the loss for Miami (23-44), and he is now 2-2 with a 6.10 ERA on the season.