Mets Swept By Marlins In Doubleheader After Returning From Positive COVID Tests
NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie left-handers Dan Castano and Trevor Rogers gave Miami good starts and the Marlins went on to pitch a pair of seven-inning shutouts, completing a doubleheader sweep of the New York Mets with a 3-0 win Tuesday night.
Rogers, making his major league debut, and two relievers combined on a four-hitter in the nightcap. The Marlins won the opener 4-0 as Castano and the bullpen worked around eight hits.
The Mets, playing for the first time since last Wednesday after a player and a coach tested positive for the coronavirus, were shut out in both ends of a doubleheader for the first time since they were swept by the Montreal Expos on Aug. 5, 1975.
New York was a combined 3 for 27 with runners on base in the two games.
"No excuse, these guys were so excited to get back on the field," manager Luis Rojas said. "They were in 'let's go' mode. It's one of those things we've got to bounce back quickly."
Brian Anderson hit a two-run double in the fourth inning in the second game. He had three doubles in the twinbill.
Jon Berti stole second, third and home in the sixth to add a run.
Josh A. Smith (1-0) allowed three hits over two innings. Nick Vincent threw a hitless seventh for his second save.
Rogers, the franchise-record fourth starting pitcher to make his major league debut for the Marlins this season, allowed one hit and issued five walks while striking out six over four innings in the second game. The Mets loaded the bases with two outs in the second before Rogers struck out Ali Sanchez.
"He was good, he was poised, his stuff was good," Marlins manager DOn Mattingly said. "He looked like he was under control the whole time out there."
Castano, who, like Rogers, had never pitched above Double-A prior to 2020, gave up six hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings in the opener and came within one out of qualifying for his first big league win.
Richard Bleier (1-0) retired the only batter he faced. Rick Porcello (1-4) got the loss.
Seth Lugo, making his first start for the Mets since June 25, 2018, threw three perfect innings in the nightcap before the Marlins scored twice in the fourth off Jared Hughes (0-1).
Berti drew a leadoff walk and went to third on Corey Dickerson's one-out single before both players scored on Anderson's double — his third of the doubleheader and the final hit of the night for Miami.
Berti built a run in the sixth, when he walked and stole his way around the bases. He bolted for home after Sanchez lobbed the ball back to pitcher Jeurys Familia and stumbled about two-thirds of the way down the line but scored when Sanchez dropped the ball at the plate.
Berti is the first Marlins player to steal three bases in an inning.
"It probably could have happened somewhere, but I don't remember seeing anything like that," Mattingly said.
Stealing bases against the Mets is nothing new for Berti, who has victimized New York for 10 of his 27 big league thefts. He tied a team record by stealing four bases at Citi Field last Sept. 19.
STRANGERS IN THEIR OWN HOUSE
While the nightcap — a makeup of the game postponed in Miami last Thursday — was considered a Mets home game, the Marlins batted last and received all the trappings of the home team. The public address announcer declared, "And here they are, the 2020 Miami Marlins!" as the Marlins jogged onto the field for the first inning and players had their walk-up music played as they strode to the plate.
BLINK 182
The Marlins fielded the largest numerical battery in history in the nightcap, when Rogers made his major league debut while wearing No. 95 and threw to catcher and fellow rookie Brian Navarreto, who wore No. 87.
Rogers is only the second player ever to wear no. 95 in a regular-season game. Pitcher Takahito Nomura appeared in 21 games for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002. Only two catchers have ever sported a number higher than Navarreto. Todd Hundley wore No. 99 for the Chicago Cubs in 2001 and Josh Paul wore No. 88 for Tampa Bay in 2006.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mets: In a flurry of moves prior to their first game since last Wednesday, the Mets placed IF Andres Gimenez and C Tomas Nido on the injured list for undisclosed reasons and recalled OF Juan Lagares and OF Patrick Mazeika from their alternate training site in Brooklyn. The Mets also announced third base coach Gary DiSarcina and bench coach Hensley Meulens are away from the team indefinitely for undisclosed reasons. Tony DeFrancesco replaced DiSarcina while quality control coach Brian Schneider added bench coach to his duties. The Mets said they will not identify players or staff member who test positive for coronavirus.
Marlins: OF Corey Dickerson, who left Sunday's game with a left shoulder contusion, started for the second straight day and went 0 for 3 in the opener.
UP NEXT
Mets: Two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom (2-0, 1.93 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the first time since Aug. 19, when he blanked the Marlins over six innings. The Mets didn't pitch deGrom on Tuesday because he didn't get his usual between starts mound work in until Monday.
Marlins: Elieser Hernandez (1-0, 2.29 ERA) is looking to win back-to-back starts for the first time as a big leaguer.
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