Defensive miscues cost Miami Marlins in loss to New York Mets to begin doubleheader
%20(3).JPG "New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor, left, tags out out Miami Marlins’ Jesus Sanchez as he attempts to steal second base during the first inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in New York.")
The ground ball rolled toward third base, and Eddy Alvarez got in position in the third inning. He slid his glove toward the dirt but could only watch as the ball slipped under his reach. There was no play to be made. A run scored.
That run, an unearned run that resulted from Alvarez’s second fielding error of the game, gave the New York Mets enough of a cushion to beat the Miami Marlins 5-2 in a seven-inning game to begin a doubleheader at Citi Field on Tuesday. The Marlins are 64-92. The Mets are 74-82.
First baseman Lewin Diaz got the Marlins within one with a two-run home run in the fourth — his eighth homer of the year which went a projected 402 feet to right field against Mets starter Marcus Stroman — but that’s as close as Miami would get.
The Marlins committed three errors overall. The other two came in the second on an Alvarez throwing error on a Stroman groundball and a high throw from Nick Fortes on Stroman’s steal of second. They got out of that inning without allowing a run, though.
The Marlins have committed an MLB-leading 120 errors on defense this season.
Zach Thompson, who started for the first time since Aug. 27 after being moved to the bullpen, gave up a run two batters into the bottom of the first. Francisco Lindor’s RBI single scored Brandon Nimmo, who led off the inning with a triple. The Mets then added two runs in the third on a Jonathan Villar RBI single to right field, with Jesus Sanchez barely missing a diving grab, and Javier Baez scoring on Kevin Pillar’s ground ball that Alvarez couldn’t glove.
Lindor hit a two-run home run in the sixth to give the Mets a pair of insurance runs.
Daniel Castano, making his first MLB appearance since May 8, struck out three over three innings while giving up those two runs (one earned) in the third inning.
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