The triple play that wasn’t and sank the Marlins in series-opening loss to the Mets

The Miami Marlins almost had the highlight defensive play of the season.

Almost.

Instead, it resulted in the continuation of a frustrating sixth inning that was part of an overall frustrating day.

And it played key in the big blow that sank the Marlins in their 10-4 loss to the New York Mets on Friday at Citi Field to begin a four-game series. Miami falls to 28-34. The Mets improve to 43-23.

So... what exactly happened? Here’s the scene from that game-defining bottom of the sixth inning, one that went from the Marlins seemingly having a triple play and instead resulted in them giving up seven runs:

The Mets had runners on first and second with no outs after Jeff McNeil led off the frame with a single and Mark Canha was hit by a pitch.

With a 2-0 count, Luis Guillorme lifted a 90.9 mph fastball deep to center field. Bryan De La Cruz ran to the warning track, colliding with the wall as he went to make a play and appeared to have made the catch as he stumbled to the ground.

From his back, De La Cruz then tossed the ball back toward the infield. Shortstop Miguel Rojas receiving the throw in shallow left-center and sending a relay throw to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who stepped on second base and sent the ball to Garrett Cooper who tapped first base for what was initially ruled a triple play.

“In the moment,” De La Cruz said, “I thought I made the catch.”

But De La Cruz did not make the catch. The ball bounced off the wall before it landed in De La Cruz’s bare right hand.

No triple play.

Instead, the Mets had the bases loaded and no outs.

An onslaught followed.

J.D. Davis started it with an RBI single through the right side. Lopez then struck out Tomas Nido for the first out of the inning and his final out of the game. Tommy Nance entered.

Nance got Brandon Nimmo to hit a flyout to left field, too shallow to score the runner from third base. Miami is one out away from getting out of the jam.

But then Nance walked Starling Marte on a full count and hit Francisco Lindor with a 2-2 count before Pete Alonso delivered the final blow — a grand slam to left-center field.

“We just couldn’t finish it up with a third out,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.

De La Cruz also had a fielding error in the first inning on a Marte line drive to center field before Lindor hit a three-run home run to give the Mets a 3-0 lead three batters into the game that had the Marlins “swimming upstream from the very beginning of the game,” Mattingly said.

Overall, Lopez was charged with seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, one walk and one hit batter over 5 1/3 innings in his first start since sustaining a right wrist contusion when he was hit by a line drive against the Houston Astros on June 10. Miami pushed his start back two days while he dealt with swelling from the injury.

Miami scored its runs on a De La Cruz home run in the fifth, Jorge Soler double in the seventh, Jon Berti fielder’s choice in the seventh and a balk in the eighth inning that scored Lewin Diaz, who led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a De La Cruz groundout.

The Marlins went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners on base. They had at least one runner on base in seven of eight innings.

But their challenges for the day began before they stepped onto the field and before the first pitch was thrown.

Two of the Marlins’ starters, first baseman/designated hitter Jesus Aguilar and outfielder Jesus Sanchez, landed on the injured list pregame without an injury designation. This points to them landing on the COVID-19 related IL, especially since Mattingly said the players were dealing with “medical issues” that the team “can’t talk about.” The Marlins do not disclose when players are on the COVID-19 IL.

Diaz and outfielder Jerar Encarnacion were added to the active roster to replace Aguilar and Sanchez, but the moves weren’t made official until about an hour before first pitch as the two flew in from Charlotte after being with the Triple A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

“To lose two starters out of your lineup from the very beginning and then we’re scrambling to try to put a lineup together, it’s a little frustrating,” Mattingly said. “It’s something that everybody deals with. Other teams have had to do it, too. We’re not immune. It’s just one of those things that’s disappointing.”

More injury updates

▪ Shortstop Miguel Rojas was removed from the game in the seventh inning after jamming his right ring finger on his sixth-inning groundout. Mattingly said the move was precautionary and that X-rays were negative.

▪ Third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson (back) and infielder Joey Wendle (right hamstring) are scheduled to take live batting practice on Saturday in Miami.

▪ Pitchers Jesus Luzardo (left forearm strain) and Cody Poteet (right elbow) are both scheduled to begin their throwing programs this weekend.

▪ Right-handed pitcher Sixto Sanchez (shoulder) is scheduled to begin playing catch off the mound Saturday.

Max Meyer update

Right-handed pitcher Max Meyer, the Marlins’ top-ranked pitching prospect and the No. 28 overall prospect in MLB, threw 39 pitches (31 strikes) over three innings in a rehab assignment with the Single A Jupiter Hammerheads. Meyer struck out four and allowed one run on one hit — a first-inning RBI double that drove in a runner who reached on a strikeout-wild pitch.

It was Meyer’s first outing in a live game setting since going on the minor-league IL with right ulnar nerve irritation on May 18.

This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 10:34 PM.

Jordan McPherson

Miami Herald

305-376-2129

Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.