MIAMI — The Mets looked every bit like a team missing half of its regulars. Against the Marlins, they made silly mental mistakes and squandered chances to score.
When manager Terry Collins wasn’t busy watching decisions blow up in his face, he was getting reports from team trainers, who are tending to an increasingly banged-up roster.
Nothing about the Mets’ sordid Saturday indicated that it would end with a victory. Yet, there they stood on the field here, exchanging handshakes and sighs of relief, following a 6-4 victory that came because the 25th man on the roster delivered the go-ahead hit.
Pressed into action because of an apparent injury to Juan Lagares, utility man Matt Reynolds came off the bench in the eighth inning and stroked a pinch-hit RBI single to score Michael Conforto.
In the ninth, Alejandro De Aza tacked on a pair of insurance runs with a two-run double to provide a cushion. The Mets emptied their bench save for backup catcher Rene Rivera. And even pitcher Jacob deGrom was summoned for a ninth-inning pinch-hitting appearance.
But the Mets seemingly needed every available hand to ensure that their 10-game road trip would begin with a series victory.
Even before first pitch, the Mets suffered their first loss of the afternoon when a sore hip forced the late scratch of slugger Yoenis Cespedes. He is listed as day-to-day, though the Mets can ill afford another absence from a critical bat in the lineup, with David Wright, Travis d’Arnaud and Lucas Duda already on the shelf.
Once the game began, the body count only kept growing. Lagares, who made a brilliant diving catch in centerfield, appeared to have paid a toll for the play. He was pulled with an apparent injury when his turn came up in the eighth.
Moments later, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera grimaced after checking his swing, prompting the trainer to check on him. It proved to be a false alarm, a fortunate break on a day in which just enough went right for the Mets.
Before leaving the game, Lagares’ highlight-reel catch stunted a Marlins’ rally in the sixth and kept the Mets within just one run.
Wilmer Flores finished 3-for-4. Since Wright officially went on the DL, Flores has responded to inheriting the starting job at third base, reaching base seven times in nine plate appearances.
Bartolo Colon held the Marlins to two runs in five innings. After another poor outing by reliever Hansel Robles, Jerry Blevins, Jim Henderson, setup man Addison Reed and closer Jeurys Familia (18 saves) restored order to preserve one of the Mets’ unlikeliest victories of the season.
At no point did it look easy.
Struggling catcher Kevin Plawecki botched a force play at home, giving the Marlins an unearned run. He followed that gaffe by getting picked off at second base.
The Mets let the Marlins off the hook in the fourth and the sixth, blowing opportunities to score multiple runs.
Neil Walker, Flores and James Loney began the sixth with singles against Marlins lefty Justin Nicolino. The slumping Michael Conforto, in the lineup only because of Cespedes’ injury, lifted a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2.
With two outs, Collins pulled Colon for a pinch hitter after only 76 pitches, hoping to push across the go-ahead run. Instead, pinch hitter Ty Kelly grounded out on the first pitch, stranding a pair of runners.
In relief of Colon, Robles issued a pair of walks with two outs in the sixth and quickly paid the price when Miguel Rojas lined an RBI double to left. The hit off Robles, who has allowed seven runs in his last four appearances, gave the Marlins a 3-2 lead.
Only Lagares’ sprawling catch kept the fire from spreading. With runners on second and third, pinch hitter Ichiro Suzuki lined a Blevins’ pitch to left-center. But Lagares laid out, landing on the turf like a jet plane after corralling the dying liner. On the mound, Blevins pumped his fist.
The play loomed even larger in the eighth, when the Mets nudged ahead for good.
Conforto clapped his hands at first base after delivering a game-tying single off former Yankee David Phelps (4-4) that snapped an 0-for-20 skid. The hit scored Loney, who doubled past a diving Giancarlo Stanton in rightfield before advancing to third on a passed ball.
With two outs, Reynolds came off the bench and delivered the go-ahead single after Marlins manager Don Mattingly elected to intentionally walk Curtis Granderson.
For the first time this season, the Mets rallied to win after trailing through seven innings. They had been 0-for-18.
..... - Newsday