Mets Rally In 8th, Beat Marlins 6-4
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MIAMI (The Sports Xchange) -- Slumping Michael Conforto tied the score with a single and pinch-hitter Matt Reynolds had the go-ahead RBI as the New York Mets rallied in the eighth inning to beat the Miami Marlins 6-4 on Saturday afternoon at Marlins Park.
The Mets (31-23) will go for a three-game sweep against the Marlins (29-27) on Sunday.
Conforto, who had two RBIs after not being in the original starting lineup, broke a 0-for-20 skid with an eighth-inning single that drove in James Loney, who led off with a double.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly had Curtis Granderson intentionally walked to get to Reynolds, who spoiled the plan by slicing an opposite-field single to right.
Granderson added a two-run double in the ninth.
Neither starting pitcher -- Bartolo Colon or Justin Nicolino -- figured in the decision. Jim Henderson (1-2) picked up the win and David Phelps (4-4) took the loss.
Loney and Wilmer Flores each went 3-for-4 for the Mets.
New York, though, overcame an awful game by catcher Kevin Plawecki, who made an error that cost the Mets a run and was also picked off second base. In addition, he struck out twice and left five runners on base while going 1-for-4. He did, however, draw a walk in the ninth.
Miami scored first. Martin Prado pulled a 2-2 pitch to left field for a solo home run in the first inning. It was Prado's first homer of the year.
The Marlins added a run in the second on an odd play. With the bases loaded and one out, Nicolino hit a bouncer to Flores, who threw from third base to home plate for the force.
However, plate umpire Greg Gibson called safe, ruling that Plawecki -- who was given an error on the play -- did not touch home and did not make the tag. Why Plawecki was even trying to make a tag is dubious because all he had to do was step on the plate to get the out.
Plawecki led off the next inning with a double, but his nightmare continued as he was picked off second base.
The Mets scored their first run in the fourth, stringing together three singles by Asdrubal Cabrera and Flores and then the RBI hit by Loney.
New York tied the score in the sixth, loading the bases with no outs and getting a sacrifice fly by Michael Conforto.
Plawecki, who stranded two batters in the fourth, did that again in the sixth, striking out on a pitch in the dirt, and pinch-hitter Ty Kelly grounded out to end the inning.
Miami went up 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Hansel Robles struck out the first two batters but walked the next two and gave up an RBI double to Miguel Rojas. Reliever Jerry Blevins came in and got pinch-hitter Ichiro Suzuki.
NOTES: Minutes before first pitch, Mets LF Yoenis Cespedes was scratched for unspecified reasons. LF Michael Conforto replaced him. ... Miami named RHP Luis Castillo and 3B Brian Anderson its minor-league Players of the Month. Both were named all-stars in the High-A Florida State League, and Anderson was recently promoted to Double-A. ... Mets RHP Zack Wheeler (elbow surgery) was originally set to return July 1. But his timetable has been pushed back to shortly after the July 11-14 All-Star break. ... Anticipation is building for Sunday's series finale, matching Mets RHP Matt Harvey vs. Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez. Both pitchers are coming off seven scoreless innings on Tuesday, are former first-round picks, are clients of agent Scott Boras, had elbow surgery within the past couple of years and are set to be free agents after the 2018 season.
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