The Sports Xchange
May 5, 2017
NEW YORK -- Wilmer Flores drew a four-pitch bases-loaded walk to cap a five-run seventh inning Friday night by the New York Mets, who stormed back to beat the Miami Marlins 8-7 in a wild affair at Citi Field.
The Mets (13-15) trailed 7-1 in the fourth before mounting their biggest comeback since overcoming a six-run deficit in an 8-6 win over the Marlins last July 4. New York has won two straight and five of seven.
The Marlins (12-16) have lost eight of ten.
Miami led 7-3 when Brad Ziegler (1-2) entered, but the submarining right-hander allowed hits to all six batters he faced, including RBI singles by catcher Rene Rivera and pinch-hitter Asdrubal Cabrera, and a game-tying two-run double by first baseman T.J. Rivera.
Right-hander Kyle Barraclough entered and struck out Jay Bruce and Neil Walker before throwing eight straight balls in walking Curtis Granderson (who was awarded an intentional walk on a 3-0 count) and Flores, who is hitting .080 (2-for-25) against right-handed pitchers this year.
Jerry Blevins (2-0), the Mets' fifth pitcher, allowed one hit in a scoreless seventh. Addison Reed allowed one hit in the eighth before Jeurys Familia earned his third save with a perfect ninth.
T.J. Rivera homered in the first and finished with two hits while Granderson hit a two-run homer in the fourth. Flores and Rene Rivera each had two hits.
Marcell Ozuna had an RBI single in the third for the Marlins. Martin Prado (RBI single) and Giancarlo Stanton (RBI double) each had run-scoring hits during a six-run fourth for Miami, which also received two-run doubles from Justin Bour and Miguel Rojas.
Prado and Rojas had three hits apiece while Ozuna and Bour had two hits each.
Mets right-hander Rafael Montero surrendered five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four in 3 2/3 innings. Marlins right-hander Tom Koehler allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three in five innings.
The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on T.J. Rivera's one-out homer.
The Marlins stranded six runners in the first three innings and scored just once -- on Ozuna's third-inning RBI single -- before busting out for six runs with two outs in the fourth.
Prado put the Marlins ahead with an RBI single and scored two batters later, when Stanton's run-scoring double chased Montero. Miami piled on against left-hander Josh Smoker, who surrendered a pair of two-run doubles to Bour and Rojas before striking out Koehler, who also whiffed for the first out of the inning.
The Mets pulled within 7-3 in the fourth inning on Granderson's two-run homer.
NOTES: The Mets recalled RHP Rafael Montero from Triple-A Las Vegas and placed C Travis d'Arnaud (right wrist) on the 10-day disabled list. ... The Marlins placed LHP Wei-Yin Chen (left arm fatigue) on the 10-day disabled list and recalled RHP Odrisamer Despaigne from Triple-A New Orleans.