New York Mets sweep Miami Marlins in doubleheader. A look at how it unfolded
%20(1).JPG "Miami Marlins pitcher Edward Cabrera knocks down the ball hit by New York Mets’ Brandon Nimmo during the first inning of the second game of a baseball doubleheader, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, in New York. Nimmo was safe with a single. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)")
The first game was the continuation of one suspended more than four months ago. The second was shortened to seven innings as a result of MLB’s doubleheader rules this season.
The end result for both was the same, with the New York Mets sweeping the Miami Marlins.
The Marlins blew a four-run lead in the first game, the resumption of a game that was suspended after nine pitches on April 11, to lose 6-5 in walk-off fashion. One rough inning sank them in the second game, losing 3-1.
Miami is now 55-78 on the season. The Mets are 65-67.
Edward Cabrera scare
Edward Cabrera, the Marlins’ top-ranked pitching prospect and the No. 30 overall prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, cruised through the first three innings of the second game before a stumble in the fourth.
With two outs and a runner on first, Cabrera slipped while throwing his first pitch to Michael Conforto, his left leg giving in as he finished his release. Cabrera remained on the ground momentarily and was checked on by manager Don Mattingly and head athletic trainer Gene Basham before throwing a warm-up pitch and staying in the game.
His next pitch: a 90.8 mph changeup over the heart of the plate. Conforto crushed it for a two-run home run.
Javier Baez and Jeff McNeil then produced more hard contact against Cabrera with a single and RBI double, respectively. Cabrera finished the inning by striking out J.D. Davis.
That was it for Cabrera, who threw 53 pitches (37 strikes) over his four innings. He scattered seven hits over the outing but faced the minimum through the first three innings, erasing a first-inning single with a caught stealing and getting a pair of double plays in the second and third.
The Marlins had Jesus Aguilar pinch hit in Cabrera’s spot in the fifth. He hit an RBI double to right to break up the shutout, but Isan Diaz hit into a double play with the bases loaded to end the chance to tack on more runs.
Miami stranded six runners in the nightcap and 17 runners overall in the two games Tuesday.
How Game 1 unfolded
Marlins manager Don Mattingly decided to go with Elieser Hernandez for the first game and have rookie Cabrera take the mound for the seven-inning nightcap, saying “there’s probably not a big difference in either one of those guys where you kind of think what kind of innings that you get from them.”
“You’re kind of looking at six hopefully from both guys,” Mattingly said. “No real difference other than usually the more established guy’s getting that first game and then you still have Edward for the second game.”
Hernandez held the Mets to one run — a Jonathan Villar solo home run — over five innings in the first game, with Hernandez’s appearance technically coming out of the bullpen since John Curtiss (who the Marlins traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 30) was the announced starter when the game began back in April. Hernandez struck out four, allowed five hits and a walk and ended his time on the mound by striking out Pete Alonso with the bases loaded in the fifth.
“It was a feeling of ‘I did it,’” Hernandez said. “It doesn’t matter who’s at the plate at that moment. The plan is just to get them out.”
Hernandez threw 83 pitches, 56 of which went for strikes. His four-seam fastball topped out at 93.8 mph, the fastest he has thrown it all season.
The bullpen had three scoreless innings — Ross Detwiler pitched a clean sixth, Steven Okert had 1 2/3 scoreless innings and Anthony Bass finished the eighth — before the ninth-inning implosion.
Bass gave up a two-run home run to Brandon Nimmo. Richard Bleier allowed up a pair of two-out hits to Dominic Smith (an infield single because of the shift) and Alonso (a double). Dylan Floro gave up an RBI infield single to Javier Baez and a walk-off two-run single to Conforto to seal the loss. Baez scored the winning run on a fielding error from Jorge Alfaro in left field.
Lewis Brinson returns
Lewis Brinson started the second game of the doubleheader in left field, his first appearance since leaving Thursday’s win over the Washington Nationals with a left thumb sprain following a collision in the outfield with Bryan De La Cruz.
Brinson had two hits and made a pair of quality plays defensively.
Wednesday postponed
The Marlins-Mets game scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed due to expected rain. It will be made up Sept. 28 as part of a single-admission doubleheader starting at 4:10 p.m.
This and that
▪ Lewin Diaz, the No. 11 prospect in Miami’s system, was the 27th man for the second game and started at first base.
▪ The Marlins on Tuesday activated Zach Pop (right middle finger soreness) from the injured list and put Paul Campbell on the IL with no injury designation.
▪ Miguel Rojas’ single in the second inning of the first game Tuesday gives him 600 for his MLB career. However, since the stats from the first game are technically backdated to April 11, his actual 600th career hit was his leadoff single in Saturday’s win against the Cincinnati Reds.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 9:16 PM.
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