Javier Baez hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, leading the New York Mets to a 5-3 win over the host Miami Marlins on Wednesday night.
Baez, acquired last week from the Chicago Cubs, went 2-for-5 with two runs. After his homer cleared the right field fence, Baez pointed at the Miami dugout and used a “talk too much” hand signal. It was the second consecutive night Baez had directed that gesture toward the Marlins.
Reliever Miguel Castro (3-3) pitched one perfect inning to earn the win as the Mets snapped a three-game losing skid. Trevor May tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save in six chances as New York pitchers retired the last 11 batters they faced.
Jesus Aguilar led Miami with a 394-foot solo homer — a moon shot that seemed to go as high as it did far. However, the Marlins played sloppy baseball, committing three errors, including two by shortstop Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Neither starter earned a decision.
New York’s Carlos Carrasco allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings, and Miami’s Zack Thompson gave up three runs, two earned, in four frames. Carrasco, in just his second start after a three-month stay on the injured list, held the Marlins scoreless through the first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth.
New York opened the scoring with three runs in the second. The Mets loaded the bases with no outs as Dominic Smith pulled a double to right, Baez grounded a single to center and Michael Conforto drew a five-pitch walk.
Jonathan Villar picked up the first RBI on a groundout. Tomas Nido’s grounder produced a run when Baez’s swim move at the plate beat the tag attempt by catcher Alex Jackson. Carrasco’s bunt produced the third run when Thompson threw wildly to second base for an error.
Fifth-inning singles by Jorge Alfaro, Bryan De La Cruz and pinch hitter Joe Panik got Miami on the board. Panik got the RBI. Aaron Loup replaced Carrasco, and the next batter, Chisholm, cut Miami’s deficit to 3-2 with an RBI groundout.
Aguilar’s leadoff homer against Jeurys Familia tied the score 3-3 in the sixth. Aguilar pounced on a high 2-1 slider, pulling it to left.
Baez’s eighth-inning leadoff homer off Anthony Bass (1-7) snapped the tie. It was the first homer allowed by Bass in 82 at-bats by right-handed hitters.
Later in the eighth, Conforto, who had singled, scored on a passed ball charged to Jackson to give New York a 5-3 lead.
–Field Level Media