Mets vs. Marlins Recap: Mets take final game in Miami

The Mets got the series victory against the Marlins with a 5-2 win Wednesday night.

The grieving Marlins followed their fallen teammate out of Marlins Park one last time prior to the start of the game, and at the end, they gathered around the number 16 on the mound.

This was a tough series to play for everyone involved, and both teams did the best they could given the circumstances. The Mets and Marlins understood the situation the other was in, and comported themselves in a respectful manner. In short, they played baseball, the game Jose Fernandez loved and played with such joy and passion.

Despite all of the emotion earlier in the day, it was the Marlins who came out swinging. They sent seven batters to the plate in first inning against starter Seth Lugo, and two of them scored when Martin Prado hit his eighth home run of the year.

The Mets were concerned with Lugo getting fatigued down the home stretch, so he was on a pitch count heading into the game. Lugo settled down in the second, but in the third he got into trouble again. With two runners on he worked his way out of trouble when Giancarlo Stanton fouled out and Justin Bour grounded out. That was the last real jam that Lugo was in. He allowed a baserunner to reach second base with two outs in the fourth, but he was left stranded, too.

Lugo’s hardworking innings earlier in the game did him in, and he was lifted with one out and one on in the sixth. All his hard work was not for naught however, because these Mets have been showing some resiliency after they get behind. Their early 2-0 deficit was immediately erased one inning later when James Loney hit a two-run home run to even up the score.

They took the lead in fourth when, with two outs, Seth Lugo doubled. Jose Reyes followed with a double, and Lugo came home with the go-ahead run. An inning later, with one out, Curtis Granderson reached on an infield single. This was Granderson’s second hit in what would become a four-hit night for him. He’s been heating up, but so has Jay Bruce, and for the second straight night he launched a two-run home run to right to put the Mets ahead 5-2.

After Lugo departed the game, it was up to the bullpen to make the lead stand up. Hansel Robles did a fine job finishing up the sixth, but in the seventh Fernando Salas faced a minor crisis. Dee Gordon singled, stole second, and moved to third on a throwing error by Rene Rivera. With only one out, Salas went to work and struck out Marcell Ozuna. Martin Prado grounded out and Gordon was still at third when the inning was over.

Addison Reed came in for the eighth and only gave up a base hit to Christian Yelich in his inning of work. That left it up to Jeurys Familia to try for save number 50 in the ninth. Familia looked dominant and retired the Marlins in order to pick up his 50th save.

Afterward, Terry Collins offered a few more hugs to Don Mattingly and the Marlins. Fans look up to players like they are immortal superheros, and at times it does seem like they are capable of monumental heroics. With a swing of a bat or a toss of a ball, they have the power to make people all over the country cheer, but at the end of the day they are inescapably human. Tragedy can befall them. They grieve and can take comfort in an act as simple as a hug. This was an immeasurable loss to the humanity and to baseball, but the Mets’ and Marlins’ response, their resiliency and their humanness, was a tiny light among the outpouring of grief.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big winners: Jay Bruce +17.6%, James Loney +10.8%
Big losers: none
Teh aw3s0mest play: Jay Bruce hits a two-run home run in the fifth, +18.8% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Martin Prado hits a two-run home run in the first, -17.7% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +24.2%
Total batter WPA: +25.8%
GWRBI!: Jose Reyes