Offense jumps out early, but bullpen falters late as Mets fall 11-6 to Marlins

The Mets were routed for the second straight day, as they dropped this afternoon’s game to the Marlins by a score of 11-6. The game was mostly a tale of two halves, as the Mets looked great and jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first half of the game, but the wheels fell off in the fifth inning, and the bullpen could not keep it close after that.

Jason Vargas looked great the first four innings, as he had throughout this spring, allowing just two hits and a walk with four punch-outs through those first four frames. He had even lowered his Grapefruit League ERA below 1.00 at one point. And then the fifth inning came. Vargas could not record an out in that fifth inning, and was pulled after allowing a single, a walk, and back-to-back doubles to the first four batters he faced. Robert Gsellman came on and didn’t fare much better, allowing another double and a single before finally getting through the inning. In the end, five runs scored in the inning, with four of them charged to Vargas.

Seth Lugo came on in the sixth inning and promptly surrendered the lead. The tying run scored on a throwing error by Lugo, and the next batter, Pedro Alvarez, hit a three-run homer to give the Marlins to lead for good. Lugo was charged with four runs in his one inning of work.

Some more notes from today’s game:

• Michael Conforto got the Mets’ first runs on the board with a two-run homer in the first, and he later added another RBI single.
• Robinson Cano continued his torrid spring with three more hits, including a double.
• Pete Alonso added an RBI single himself, going 1-for-5 on the day.
• Daniel Zamora was the only Mets reliever to not allow a run, tossing a clean eighth inning.
• Tim Peterson faltered for the first time this spring, allowing two runs on Alvarez’s second homer of the game.
• The final out of the game was never recorded, as the rain came with 2 outs in the ninth, causing the game to be ruled a final shortly after.