Nick Neidert earned his first big-league win as the host Miami Marlins beat the first-place New York Mets, 5-4, in a National League East matchup on Tuesday night.
Neidert (1-1), making his 11th major league appearance, allowed three runs, three hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings.
The last-place Marlins received a stellar performance from rookie right fielder Bryan De La Cruz, acquired just before last week’s trade deadline. De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. He also made several stellar defensive plays.
Miami also got solo homers from Alex Jackson and Isan Diaz. It was the first homer of the season for Jackson, a catching prospect acquired last week from the Atlanta Braves.
Dylan Floro allowed one run in the ninth inning, earning his fourth save in seven chances.
The Mets have lost three straight games and also lost manager Luis Rojas in this one when he was ejected prior to the seventh inning. New York shortstop Javier Baez was angered by some apparent chirping on the Marlins side, but that did not escalate any further.
Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo, who had missed three straight starts due to a hamstring injury, returned and went 1-for-4.
Taijuan Walker (7-6) took the loss, allowing four runs, eight hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.
For the second straight game, the Marlins raced to a 4-0 lead, although this time it took three innings instead of just one.
Jackson’s homer in the second gave Miami a 1-0 lead, and a three-run third featured Diaz’s blast and a two-run single from De La Cruz.
New York got on the board in the fourth as Jeff McNeil blooped a doubled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Dominic Smith’s sacrifice fly.
The Mets cut their deficit to 4-3 in the sixth on a rally set up by Pete Alonso’s walk and McNeil’s hit-by-pitch. Alonso scored on Smith’s second sacrifice fly, and McNeil raced home from first on J.D. Davis’ double.
Miami stretched its lead to 5-3 in the eighth as Lewis Brinson singled, and Jorge Alfaro earned an RBI with a broken-bat double that one-hopped the wall in right-center.
That run proved huge as the Mets’ James McCann stroked an RBI double in the ninth. With two outs, pinch-hitter Brandon Drury missed a score-tying hit by inches down the left-field line. Drury then grounded out to end the game.
–Field Level Media