Missed opportunities, sloppy play, a walk-off loss. Explaining Marlins’ extra-inning defeat to Mets
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Where to start with the Miami Marlins’ 5-4, 10-inning, walk-off loss to the New York Mets on Saturday at Citi Field?
“Too many mistakes fundamentally,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said in an attempt to sum up the night. “Didn’t play good enough.”
Miami was in position to win, up a run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th before the Mets tied it on a Tomas Nido dribbling double down the third-base line and won it on a Tanner Scott throwing error on a Brandon Nimmo ground ball.
But the Marlins’ lack of execution wasn’t limited to just what happened in the 10th inning.
It was present throughout the game. Here’s a closer look at each of the plays that ultimately doomed the Marlins, who are now 40-43 on the season and 3-7 against the Mets (53-32).
The ending
We’ll start with how the game finished.
Scott walked to the mound with a one-run lead and Mark Canha as the Mets’ automatic runner at second base. He made quick work of the first two batters he faced, striking out Eduardo Escobar and Luis Guillorme, both looking at four-seam fastballs.
And then came the two game-ending mishaps.
First, Nido hit a groundball down the third-base line that Brian Anderson tried to backhand but mishandled. The ball trickled past Anderson and into left field to score Canha and tie the game 4-4.
According to Statcast, the ball had a six-percent probability of being a hit.
“I tried to track it down and I guess I didn’t stay down on it long enough,” Anderson said. “It’s definitely a play I think I should have at least kept the ball in the infield. That’s on me. I should have definitely tried to get dirty and just try to keep that ball in the infield and save a run there. Definitely disappointing from my end on that. I definitely expect myself to make that play.”
Two pitches later, Nimmo hit a slider back to the pitcher’s mound. Scott caught the ball off a bounce before dropping it and trying to make a quick throw to first. The throw bounced before getting to the bag and sailed into foul territory. Nido scored from second to seal the walk-off.
“It sucks,” Scott said. “I threw it straight into the ground. It was a terrible play by me. ... I know Nimmo’s a fast guy and I rushed myself. Didn’t really have my feet under me. I just threw it straight in the ground.”
The Marlins have now been on the losing end of seven walk-offs this season, which is tied with the Boston Red Sox for most in MLB this season.
The pickoff
Before the calamity of the bottom of the 10th, the Marlins saw momentum swing twice in the top half of the inning.
They scored the go-ahead run on a Jon Berti infield single coupled with a Francisco Lindor throwing error that scored Billy Hamilton, who pinch-ran for Nick Fortes as Miami’s automatic runner at second base to begin the game.
But Berti was picked off at second base when Nido threw scooped up a pitch in the dirt and fired to second, where Lindor applied the tag on Berti after Berti’s foot came off the base after getting back to the base.
“Just frustrating,” said Berti, relying a common thought among the clubhouse. “I literally wasn’t trying to go anywhere. I was getting back to the base pretty easily and when I was coming back, the throw felt like it was coming at me, so I started chopping my feet a little bit, expecting to maybe get hit by the ball. My right foot hit the bag and then when my left foot went over, it felt like it kind of gave out. I was bracing myself and didn’t have a whole lot of weight on that right side. When the tag game, whatever pressure he put on was just enough I guess to make it come off.”
Joey Wendle popped out and Jesus Aguilar, who had three hits including a game-tying home run in the eighth to help get the game to extra innings, grounded out to end the top of the 10th.
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The two home runs against Braxton Garrett
Two swings against Braxton Garrett muddled an otherwise solid start for the Marlins’ lefty and gave the Mets all three of their runs before the two in the 10th.
Pete Alonso hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and Lindor hit a two-run shot in the sixth against the Marlins’ left-handed pitcher.
Alonso’s home run came when he lifted a slider below the strike zone on an 0-1 count a projected 418 feet to left field with two outs in the fourth inning. It was the Mets’ first hit of the game against Garrett, who had retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced while allowing just one walk in that span.
Two innings later, Lindor hit an elevated fastball on an 0-1 count 390 feet and off the left field foul pole for a two-run home run that put the Mets up 3-2 and chased Garrett from the game.
“The pitch to Alonso wasn’t a bad pitch; he just made a good swing,” Garrett said. “With Lindor, I could have gotten it in a little more. They just got me there.”
Outside of those swings, Garrett kept the Mets’ lineup in check over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out three and allowed just three hits — the two home runs and a Nido infield single in the sixth — while striking out three.
Dylan Floro, Elieser Hernandez, Steven Okert and Anthony Bass combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to give the Marlins the chance to rally and force extra innings.
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The two bases-loaded situations
The Marlins had a couple chances to break the game open early but failed to execute.
They loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning on a Jon Berti double, Garrett Cooper walk and a catcher’s interference call during Aguilar’s at-bat. Jesus Sanchez then struck out and Avisail Garcia hit into a double play. Zero runs scored.
They loaded the bases again in the sixth with one out on an Aguilar single, Sanchez walk and Garcia single. Anderson followed with a double to left-center field but only one run scored with Sanchez thrown out at home plate after hesitating on the basepaths.
“With one out, you’ve got to be able to score on that ball,” Mattingly said of Sanchez’s baserunning in the sixth.
Garcia eventually scored on a Seth Lugo wild pitch to give Miami a brief 2-1 lead.
Overall, the Marlins went 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position on Saturday.
The ejections
Cooper and Mattingly were both ejected following Cooper’s at-bat to end the top of the seventh inning.
One pitch before hitting a ground ball back to the pitcher’s mound for the final out of the inning, Cooper complained about a called strike that made the count 1-2. Cooper then rolled over a 96.2 mph sinker.
Home plate umpire Mark Ripperger ejected Cooper after the designated hitter made more comments on his way back to the dugout. Mattingly, not pleased, left the dugout and argued with Ripperger before being ejected as well.
The chance to split the series
The Marlins and Mets close this four-game series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1:40 p.m. Sandy Alcantara (9-3, 1.82 ERA) will be on the mound for the Marlins opposite the Mets’ Taijuan Walker (7-2, 2.86).
After that, Miami has a seven game homestand — four games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, three against the Philadelphia Phillies — to wrap up their schedule before the All-Star Break.
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