Big Hits Off Bench Lift Mets Over Marlins 5-4
NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Young and rookie Eric Campbell delivered big hits off the bench in the late innings to rally the surging New York Mets past the Miami Marlins 5-4 on Saturday.
Young's pinch-hit, two-run homer off Bryan Morris tied it at 4 in the seventh, and Campbell came through with a pinch-hit single in the eighth to put the Mets ahead.
Daisuke Matsuzaka struck out 10 in six innings and New York executed a perfect suicide squeeze, improving to 7-2 on a 10-game homestand that leads into the All-Star break.
Christian Yelich homered for the Marlins, who have lost four of five.
With two outs in the eighth, Travis d'Arnaud doubled off left-hander Mike Dunn (7-5). Campbell batted for Kirk Nieuwenhuis and poked a soft single into center to give the Mets their first lead.
Vic Black (2-2) worked a scoreless inning for the win, and Jenrry Mejia got three quick outs for his 10th save. It is the third time the Mets have won seven games on a homestand at Citi Field, which opened in 2009.
All-Star second baseman Daniel Murphy stretched high for a leaping grab that kept the game tied in the top of the eighth. Matsuzaka had his fourth career double-digit strikeout game and first since Aug. 4, 2007, with Boston at Seattle.
Marlins starter Tom Koehler, pitching about 12 miles from his New Rochelle hometown, tossed two-hit ball into the seventh and left with a 4-2 lead after a one-out walk.
Young was batting .195 before launching Morris' first pitch into the left-field stands for his second career pinch-hit homer. The other came on June 27, 2012, with Arizona against Atlanta.
Morris hadn't allowed an earned run in 21 1-3 innings over 17 games with Miami since arriving from Pittsburgh on June 1 — the longest consecutive innings streak without yielding an earned run to begin a Marlins career.
Garrett Jones and Marcell Ozuna hit consecutive RBI doubles in the sixth off Matsuzaka to put Miami ahead 4-2.
Adeiny Hechavarria hit a leadoff double in the Marlins third and scored when third baseman David Wright made an error on Donovan Solano's RBI grounder. With two on, Matsuzaka limited the damage by striking out slumping slugger Giancarlo Stanton and Casey McGehee on sliders.
Yelich's solo shot in the fifth cleared the right-center fence near the 390-foot sign. It was only the third home run this season off Matsuzaka, who has thrown 71 innings.
New York tied it 2-all in the bottom half after Yelich was slow to get back on Nieuwenhuis' double at the left-field wall. Juan Lagares had an RBI groundout, and Nieuwenhuis dashed home on Ruben Tejada's suicide squeeze.
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
RELATED CONTENT:
