Garrett Cooper’s walk-off home run backs up Pablo Lopez’s gem as Marlins beat Mets
The Miami Marlins needed a strong start from Pablo Lopez on Saturday. Their bullpen was in shambles after a 12-inning loss the night before in which 10 Miami pitchers appeared on the mound.
Lopez did his job, throwing seven shutout innings against the New York Mets. The offense finally broke through in the seventh as well, with a key pinch-hit decision by manager Don Mattingly paying off.
And then Garrett Cooper hit a two-out, full-count, walk-off, two-run home run to finish the Marlins’ 2-1 win at loanDepot park.
The Marlins (21-24) and Mets (21-18) finish their three-game on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1:10 p.m.
“We didn’t want to go to extra innings again,” Cooper said. “I got to the plate, and was like ‘Man, I really don’t need another 11 or 12 inning game. Just great emotions, great team win.”
Cooper’s home run — his third hit of the game and his third home run in as many games — was hit 109.6 mph off the bat and went a projected 428 feet to left-center field. It came after Brian Anderson recorded his third hit of the game, a two-out groundball single through the right side.
Cooper is on a seven-game hitting streak, batting .414. (12 for 29) with nine RBI in that span.
“I was pretty frustrated with myself earlier on this year,” said Cooper, who was hitting just .177 on May 2. “It’s been good. I take pride in barreling balls, hitting balls over 100 mph. I think that’s part of my game that I’ve really become a guy that tries to barrel a lot of pitches.”
It also backed up arguably Lopez’s best start of the season. Lopez held the Mets to four hits and a walk while striking out eight batters and retired 15 of the final 16 he faced.
After needing 21 pitches to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and 52 total pitches to get through the first three innings, Lopez needed just 38 pitches to get through his final four innings.
He threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 26 batters he faced and did not have a batter in a three-ball count after the first inning.
“That’s something they teach young pitchers ever since they get into professional baseball: Put yourself in good counts, get ahead in your count,” Lopez said. “We were able to make good pitches early and get some quick outs as the outing got better.”
Outfielder Corey Dickerson delivered the Marlins’ initial go-ahead run with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh that was just deep enough to left field to score Anderson from third base. Anderson reached on a one-out single and made it to third base on a Cooper single one at-bat later.
The Mets answered right back in the eighth. Anthony Bass got two outs but walked two before Richard Bleier came to the mound for a lefty-lefty matchup with Dominic Smith. Smith worked the count full, including taking a 90.8 mph in the strike zone on a 2-2 count that was called a ball, before hitting an RBI single into right to tie the game.
“Thankfully that didn’t end up changing the game,” Mattingly said, “but it could have.”
Yimi Garcia held the Mets scoreless in the ninth to set up the walk-off, but the Marlins’ offense was stagnant early. Joey Lucchesi, the Mets’ starting pitcher who entered the game with a 9.19 ERA, held the Marlins to one hit with eight strikeouts over four innings.
The Marlins ultimately broke through against the Mets’ bullpen, and in turn gave their corps of relief pitchers a needed break.
Miami’s bullpen day on Friday went awry after they used all 10 pitchers they had available in their 6-5, 12-inning loss to the Mets to open the three-game series.
The Marlins selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Shawn Morimando prior to Saturday’s game to give them a pitcher who could throw multiple innings if the situation presented itself. Jordan Holloway (right groin strain) went on the 10-day injured list to make room for Morimando on the active roster. Elieser Hernandez (right biceps) was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room for him on the 40-man roster.
He wasn’t needed on Saturday after Lopez’s strong start and Cooper’s emphatic finish.
“Walk-off wins are always fun,” Lopez said, “especially the ones with a home run. ... You just have to put the ball in play, and a lot of good things can happen. Brian Anderson got to first with that single to right field and then Cooper got the pitch right where he likes it and hit that ball pretty far.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 7:16 PM.
.JPG)