Mets Salvage Final Game of Mets-Marlins Series

With a “pissed off” manager, the Mets really needed a win in Wednesday’s Mets-Marlins matinee. It didn’t look good early, but some pinch hitting heroics by Jordany Valdespin gave the Mets the win to break their six game losing streak.

The Marlins jumped all over Dillon Gee in the first inning. He walked leadoff batter Juan Pierre and Greg Dobbs. Justin Ruggiano singled to score Pierre and Chris Valaika doubled to plate two more and just like that the Marlins had a 3-0 lead.

After Daniel Murphy got stupidly picked off of first base with David Wright at bat to end the third inning, Wright hit the first pitch of the  fourth with a no-doubt-about-it home run to left to make it a 3-1 game.

With one out in the bottom of the fourth Nick Green doubled off of Gee. Pitcher Wade LeBlanc singled to center, and the third base coach made a poor decision to send Green home. The throw from Juan Lagares was up the line, by Green was still out by a mile. The decision cost the Marlins a run because Pierre then singled to score LeBlanc to make it 4-1. LeBlanc slid awkwardly and John Buck’s shinguard hit him in the chest, but he was able to stay in the game.

Wright led off the sixth inning with a double and with two outs scored on a Marlon Byrd single to cut the Marlins lead to 4-2. After Ike Davis singled, LeBlac was removed from the game. A.J. Ramos came on to face Valdespin, and just like he did five times last season, Valdespin slammed a pinch hit home run to give the Mets the lead, 5-4.

Gee made the third out of the sixth inning, yet he was taken out of the game for the bottom of the inning. Presumably Terry Collins didn’t want to waste a pinch hitter with two outs and none on. Gee threw only 73 pitches, but they were not particularly good pitches. He allowed four runs on nine hits over five innings, walking two and striking out two. Still, he won his second game of the year against four losses. His ERA rose to 6.16.

Murphy and Wright, who had three hits on the day, both singled with one out in the seventh to put runners on first and third. Buck then doubled to the wall in right to drive in two as the Mets extended their lead to 7-4.

With one out in the seventh Scott Atchison allowed two singles and then Ruggiano singled to left. The ball took a high hop and bounced over Lucas Duda’s glove, rolling all the way to the wall. Two runs scored on Duda’s error to make it a 7-6 game, and Ruggiano landed on third. Atchison was able to get out of it and the Mets maintained the lead.

LaTroy Hawkins allowed a double to Green in the eighth, who later advanced to third, but Scott Rice came on to get the final out to strand him there.

Bobby Parnell, who was angry that he was not asked to close Tuesday’s game (he had pitched two innings in Monday’s marathon), got the call today, tasked with holding a ninth inning lead for the first time in this series. But unlike the first two games, Parnell was able to nail down the win with a one-two-three inning.

The Mets salvage the final game of the Mets-Marlins series, 7-6.