Mets 7 Marlins 3 (Loan Depot Park, Miami, FL)
Mets record: 21-25
Mets streak: Won 1
WP - Sean Manaea (3-1)
LP - Sixto Sanchez (0-2)
SV - Reed Garrett (2)
Seat on the Korner:
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
Considering everything that is going on with Edwin Diaz this season and this weekend, for Reed Garrett to come in and get a six out save was absolutely essential. If Garrett had blown this save in the 8th with a one run lead or, worse yet, a four run lead in the ninth, the obituary for the 2024 Mets would have been written and published after getting swept by the lowly Marlins. Now thanks to Garrett, the obit is just in the "drafts" folder.
Need to Know
J.D. Martinez missed the game with flu like symptoms
Francisco Lindor had two hits from the leadoff spot to raise his average to .197 on the season.
Tyrone Taylor and Harrison Bader also had two hits today, and each had a two run hit in the first inning to give the Mets a four run first inning off Sixto Sanchez.
Every Mets starter had at least one hit today.
Sean Manaea went five innings for the victory, throwing 95 pitches and giving up two runs (a two run homer by Dane Myers) on five hits and a walk while striking out four.
Before today's six out save by Garrett, the last six out save for the Mets was by David Robertson on May 1st of last season.
Turning Point
Jake Diekman had given up a homer to Christian Bethancourt in the 7th to cut the gap to 4-3, so things were dicey. They were double dicey because you knew Edwin Diaz was out of the mix today. Reed Garrett came in for the 8th having given up four hits in his last two appearances. They needed Garrett to hold this one in the worst way.
Garrett would give up a hit in the 9th but by then, the Mets lead had ballooned to four and Garrett had already gotten the most important outs of the game.
Three Keys
The Lineup Changes Are Still Bearing Fruit
Carlos Mendoza's lineup changes were aggressive, and they've worked to the tune of 16 runs in two games. The important part of what has worked is that the Mets have put up four run innings in two straight games in a season where any inning over two runs have been hard to come by.
A Dub For A Starter
The last time a Met starter got a win before Sunday was Jose Butto on May 7th. Sean Manaea only went five innings 95 pitches, which won't be sustainable for that bullpen in the long run. But today, holding on to a 4-0 lead and getting the W after the events of the last two days was more than good enough.
Brandon Gives Everyone a Breath
The last thing the Mets needed was a white knuckle 9th inning. Brandon Nimmo took care of that with a two run dinger in the ninth to give the Mets breathing room.
Brett Baty added an RBI single in the frame to extend the lead to 7-3 and get the Mets home comfortably.