Field Level Media
Jul 1, 2018
Steven Matz and three relievers combined on a four-hitter as the New York Mets overcame three errors and recorded a 5-2 victory over the Miami Marlins Sunday afternoon at Marlins Park.
The Mets reached the halfway point at 33-48. It is their worst record through 81 games in a non-strike season since losing 103 games in 1993 under managers Jeff Torborg and Dallas Green.
New York also won for only the second time in 12 games, the sixth time in 29 games and improved to 16-39 since April. The Mets tied a season high with three miscues for the fourth time this year as second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, third baseman Todd Frazier and Matz made errors.
Matz (4-5) allowed an unearned run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He lowered his road ERA to 2.25, third in the National League behind teammate Jacob deGrom and Washington's Max Scherzer.
The left-hander struck out six, walked two and threw 109 pitches, one shy of his season high. His final pitch was a full count offering to strike out Justin Bour as the Mets held a two-run lead.
Seth Lugo recorded the final two outs of the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh while getting defensive help from left fielder Michael Conforto. Conforto made a diving catch on JT Riddle's sinking liner and snagged Brian Anderson's liner in front of the fence.
Tim Peterson allowed a homer to Cameron Maybin in the eighth, and Jeruys Familia struck out two in the ninth for his 15th save in 19 opportunities.
Kevin Plawecki hit an RBI double, Cabrera hit his team-leading 14th homer and Matz added a run-scoring single off Miami starter Dan Straily (3-4).
Straily returned from a five-game suspension for hitting San Francisco's Buster Posey and allowed three runs and five hits with four walks in seven innings.
The Mets took a 1-0 lead with two outs in the second when Plawecki roped a double to the wall in center field. New York made it 2-0 when Cabrera reached the second deck in right field by hitting a 3-1 fastball with two outs in the fourth.
An RBI base hit in the fourth by Matz following an intentional walk to Amed Rosario made it 3-0.
Miami got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Miguel Rojas scored on Matz's misplay on Straily's grounder.
New York tacked on two runs in the eighth when center fielder Lewis Brinson dropped Frazier's fly ball and Cabrera scored. Frazier made it 5-1 by scoring when catcher J.T. Realmuto was charged with an error on a throw that hit Frazier in the back.
--Field Level Media