Mets vs. Marlins recap: Flores continues his hot streak, deGrom pushes through for series win

The Mets won their sixth game of the past seven today, with a matinee victory over the Marlins. The team, at press time, is three and a half games behind the Nationals in the National League East before the teams meet for a four game series in Queens starting tomorrow.

Jacob deGrom started for the Mets, and struggled initially in the first inning, loading the bases and throwing nearly 30 pitches. However, no runs scored in the first and, aside from two mammoth Giancarlo Stanton solo home runs in the fourth and sixth innings, deGrom pitched a good game. Whether or not he should have started the seventh inning with 103 pitches already under his belt is up for debate, but a quick, low-stress inning closed out his day. He, in total, threw 117 pitches, struck out seven, and walked two.

His competition for the day was Justin Nicolino, making his 11th start of the year for the Marlins. Nicolino gave up all four Met runs today, throwing 59 pitches, walking one and striking out two in four innings of work.

Wilmer Flores, continuing to show the world that he deserves to be the Mets’ every day third baseman, smashed two solo home runs, in the second and fourth innings, and made a few nice plays in the field, while starting at first base. His primary competition for that job, the newest old Met, Jose Reyes, wound up playing shortstop today, as Asdrubal Cabrera was a late scratch.

Reyes hit two doubles today, and scored a run on Curtis Granderson’s third inning, two-run single. Aside from the aforementioned hits, only three other Mets reached base today: Neil Walker and Rene Rivera each reached on walks, while deGrom pushed a bunt that resulted in a fielder’s choice at second base. deGrom also scored on Granderson’s single in the third.

Addison Reed pitched a perfect eighth before Jeurys Familia closed out the game, notching his 30th save of the season, and converting all of his save chances in the regular season dating back to July 30th of last year, the day before the Mets traded for Yoenis Cespedes.

The Mets hope to carry this momentum into their weekend series with the Nationals, which is followed by the All Star Break.

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What’s WPA?

Big winners: Jacob deGrom, 18.8%, Wilmer Flores, 14.9%, Curtis Granderson, 10.3%
Big losers: None
Teh aw3s0mest play: The first Wilmer Flores home run (12.5%)
Teh sux0rest play: Jacob deGrom bunting into a fielder’s choice where the lead run was thrown out, -2.9%
Total pitcher WPA: 31.1%
Total batter WPA: 18.9%
GWRBI!: Curtis Granderson