Francisco Lindor hit two home runs, Jeff McNeil also homered, and the New York Mets won 6-4 against the Miami Marlins on Monday night.
McNeil drove in three runs as the Mets split the four-game series with the Marlins, who have the worst record in the National League. This season, New York has won five games and lost five games against Miami.
“It’s not easy to hit home runs here, especially to the opposite field,” Lindor commented. “I had a good day and the ball seemed to fly well for me.”
David Peterson, the Mets’ starting pitcher, gave up two runs and six hits over five innings to earn his fifth win of the season. He walked four batters and struck out four.
“I did some good things and there are areas I can improve,” said Peterson, who hadn’t pitched since July 11. “I’m getting back into my routine and ready for the second half of the season.”
José Buttó replaced Peterson and allowed one run over two innings. Phil Maton pitched a perfect eighth inning, with center fielder Harrison Bader making a diving catch to help him out.
Trailing 6-3 in the ninth inning, the Marlins mounted a comeback against Mets closer Edwin Díaz. Nick Gordon singled with one out and Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked. Bryan De La Cruz hit a slow grounder that Díaz fielded, but hesitated before throwing to first base, allowing the bases to be loaded.
Josh Bell grounded out, scoring Gordon and moving Chisholm and De La Cruz into scoring position. McNeil made a difficult play at second base to secure the out. Díaz then retired Jake Burger on a pop-up to earn his 12th save of the season.
“They put some pressure on us, but Edwin kept making good pitches,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I liked how he mixed his fastball and slider to finish the game.”
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker was ejected by home plate umpire Rob Drake for arguing about the strike zone after the eighth inning.
“Rob is an experienced umpire,” Schumaker said. “It wasn’t personal; I just wanted to express my feelings about the calls.”
